Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Koriyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Koriyama: $1,187 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Koriyama
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Koriyama Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Koriyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,187

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Koriyama

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 Koriyama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $1,187 in Koriyama.

Nosara $1,835
Koriyama $1,187

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $1,881 in Koriyama.

Nosara $2,825
Koriyama $1,881

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $2,575 in Koriyama.

Nosara $3,814
Koriyama $2,575

Living in Nosara is roughly 55% more expensive than in Koriyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Koriyama is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$6.12 ¥967

101.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$31.16 ¥4,923

96.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$5.13 ¥810

51.27%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.96 ¥468

50.00%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.24 ¥195

44.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.78 ¥124

65.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.70 ¥426

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.17 ¥501

39.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.46 ¥230

6.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.56 ¥246

97.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$4.20 ¥664

-39.76%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.01 ¥317

71.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$10.18 ¥1,609

-28.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$6.65 ¥1,051

53.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$16.68 ¥2,635

-15.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$3.65 ¥576

-37.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.27 ¥358

-27.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.89 ¥457

65.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$4.07 ¥643

-59.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$2.47 ¥390

55.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$2.55 ¥402

47.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.29 ¥204

-15.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.84 ¥133

208.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.85 ¥608

32.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$6.80 ¥1,074

192.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.85 ¥293

51.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.11 ¥333

66.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.52 ¥241

-19.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$53.0 ¥8,380

39.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.22 ¥508

-32.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$2.87 ¥453

-45.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$18.64 ¥2,945

-53.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.10 ¥174

40.91%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.9K ¥3.3M

64.99%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$15.2K ¥2.4M

154.35%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$134 ¥21.2K

-29.48%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$24.63 ¥3,890

46.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$31.55 ¥4,984

68.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$52.2 ¥8,243

41.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$12.02 ¥1,899

-34.19%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$523 ¥82.7K

-6.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.6K ¥2.0M

-5.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$49.37 ¥7,799

10.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$31.64 ¥4,999

76.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$61.0 ¥9,639

31.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$87.4 ¥13.8K

-10.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$542 ¥85.6K

47.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$325 ¥51.4K

142.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,102 ¥174.1K

263.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$739 ¥116.8K

90.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$4,230 ¥668.2K

67.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,778 ¥280.8K

-30.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.21

290.05%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Koriyama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Koriyama

$325 27.4% 58.8% $464

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Koriyama

$287 24.2% 17.8% $62

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Koriyama

$128 10.8% 39.9% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Koriyama

$191 16.1% 3.6% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Koriyama

$103 8.7% 14.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Koriyama

$76 6.4% 15% $13

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Koriyama

$77 6.5% 13.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $542 in Koriyama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $31.00 in Koriyama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $287 per month, with Koriyama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Koriyama

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

21:26 9:26 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

327,692

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

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Between locations

Nosara Koriyama 12,900 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Koriyama

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 Koriyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Koriyama differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,835 vs $1,187 including rent). Koriyama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,753 in Nosara and $1,781 in Koriyama to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $801 in Nosara versus $542 in Koriyama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Koriyama runs roughly 39% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $523 in Koriyama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,187 in Koriyama versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koriyama but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Koriyama 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 Koriyama 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 Koriyama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.