Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,108 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kaohsiung

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Kaohsiung actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,108 in Kaohsiung.

Nosara $1,837
Kaohsiung $1,108

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,821 in Kaohsiung.

Nosara $2,775
Kaohsiung $1,821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,535 in Kaohsiung.

Nosara $3,712
Kaohsiung $2,535

Living in Nosara is roughly 66% more expensive than in Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Kaohsiung is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$5.46 NT$174

123.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$31.96 NT$1,020

88.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$4.87 NT$155

54.83%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.83 NT$90.4

52.30%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₡773

$1.14 NT$36.42

50.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.71 NT$22.77

90.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.53 NT$48.87

111.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.55 NT$81.6

75.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$3.25 NT$104

-51.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.19 NT$69.8

44.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$3.07 NT$98.2

-21.17%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.67 NT$85.2

33.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$16.13 NT$515

-53.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$8.08 NT$258

28.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$15.24 NT$486

-10.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$6.80 NT$217

-65.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.82 NT$90.1

-42.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.57 NT$82.0

84.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$3.08 NT$98.4

-46.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.84 NT$90.7

30.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.06 NT$65.8

73.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$2.45 NT$78.2

-55.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.04 NT$33.19

145.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.54 NT$145

9.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$15.72 NT$502

27.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.67 NT$53.4

67.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.25 NT$71.7

56.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.68 NT$21.69

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$12.67 NT$405

468.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.76 NT$88.0

-18.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.75 NT$23.99

106.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$5.51 NT$176

60.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.02 NT$32.52

53.92%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$33.6K NT$1.1M

-35.19%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$23.0K NT$735.6K

50.31%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$84.8 NT$2,706

10.23%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$17.34 NT$553

102.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$25.77 NT$823

99.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$41.21 NT$1,315

73.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$10.41 NT$332

240.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$10.96 NT$350

-28.47%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$490 ₡220.7K

$462 NT$14.8K

5.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$14.1K NT$449.4K

-15.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$93.5 NT$2,983

-42.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$31.88 NT$1,018

74.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$85.9 NT$2,741

-7.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$104 NT$3,315

-24.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$415 NT$13.2K

89.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$276 NT$8,812

182.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$979 NT$31.3K

294.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$668 NT$21.3K

110.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$4,588 NT$146.5K

51.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$3,154 NT$100.7K

-61.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,462 NT$46.7K

-40.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.56

236.72%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Kaohsiung

$276 24.9% 64.6% $504

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Kaohsiung

$368 33.1% 5.2% $18

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Kaohsiung

$112 10.1% 46.3% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Kaohsiung

$128 11.5% 29% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Kaohsiung

$142 12.8% 17.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kaohsiung

$63 5.7% 27.5% $24

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kaohsiung

$22 2% 74.8% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $415 in Kaohsiung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaohsiung pays 67% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $32.00 in Kaohsiung. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $368, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

01:25 1:25 AM

15:25 3:25 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

2,777,873

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.92 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.81 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Kaohsiung 15,420 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kaohsiung

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Nosara vs Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Kaohsiung differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $1,108 including rent). Kaohsiung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Kaohsiung. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $415 in Kaohsiung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $462 in Kaohsiung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Nosara pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,108 in Kaohsiung versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaohsiung but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kaohsiung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Kaohsiung are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kaohsiung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.