Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kumamoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumamoto: $1,275 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
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Kumamoto Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,275

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kumamoto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,275 in Kumamoto.

Nosara $1,839
Kumamoto $1,275

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,968 in Kumamoto.

Nosara $2,828
Kumamoto $1,968

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,661 in Kumamoto.

Nosara $3,818
Kumamoto $2,661

Living in Nosara is roughly 44% more expensive than in Kumamoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Kumamoto is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.11 ¥1,123

73.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$31.31 ¥4,947

95.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.04 ¥955

24.50%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.21 ¥507

37.38%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.99 ¥157

75.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.76 ¥121

72.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.75 ¥593

-12.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.24 ¥353

99.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.35 ¥213

15.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.85 ¥292

63.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$6.70 ¥1,058

-62.54%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.86 ¥293

91.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$18.45 ¥2,915

-59.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.47 ¥865

92.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.63 ¥2,944

-25.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.57 ¥565

-34.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.85 ¥292

-12.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.89 ¥457

66.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.39 ¥535

-52.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.19 ¥347

73.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.62 ¥414

40.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.06 ¥168

6.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.98 ¥154

171.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.87 ¥611

33.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.63 ¥890

253.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.66 ¥262

74.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.90 ¥300

91.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.37 ¥217

-18.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$57.2 ¥9,037

26.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.85 ¥608

-44.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.08 ¥329

-24.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$18.13 ¥2,865

-53.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.10 ¥175

38.18%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-1.81%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$17.7K ¥2.8M

94.94%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$207 ¥32.7K

-53.52%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$24.29 ¥3,838

47.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$33.05 ¥5,222

62.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$45.67 ¥7,215

56.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.98 ¥1,735

-28.14%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$126 ¥20.0K

291.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.1K ¥1.9M

-2.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$48.65 ¥7,685

10.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$26.06 ¥4,118

112.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$65.7 ¥10.4K

18.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$46.35 ¥7,323

71.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$524 ¥82.8K

50.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$325 ¥51.3K

144.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,110 ¥175.3K

254.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$722 ¥114.1K

96.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,521 ¥714.2K

52.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,747 ¥276.0K

-29.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

1.97

337.56%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kumamoto: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Kumamoto

$325 25.5% 59.1% $470

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Kumamoto

$313 24.6% 11% $39

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Kumamoto

$144 11.3% 32.1% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Kumamoto

$265 20.8% 42.4% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Kumamoto

$84 6.6% 30% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kumamoto

$68 5.3% 22.6% $20

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Kumamoto

$77 6% 11.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $524 in Kumamoto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $31.00 in Kumamoto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $313 per month, with Kumamoto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🕒 Local time

01:20 1:20 AM

16:20 4:20 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

738,865

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Kumamoto 13,890 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kumamoto

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 Kumamoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Kumamoto differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,275 including rent). Kumamoto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,912 in Kumamoto 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: $788 in Nosara versus $524 in Kumamoto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kumamoto runs roughly 27% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $126 in Kumamoto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,275 in Kumamoto versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kumamoto but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.