Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kurume

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurume: $965 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
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Kurume Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kurume

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $965 in Kurume.

Nosara $1,839
Kurume $965

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,529 in Kurume.

Nosara $2,828
Kurume $1,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,092 in Kurume.

Nosara $3,818
Kurume $2,092

Living in Nosara is roughly 91% more expensive than in Kurume, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Kurume is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.43 ¥700

178.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$43.67 ¥6,900

40.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$3.81 ¥601

97.38%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.91 ¥302

130.89%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.66 ¥104

163.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.55 ¥86.2

138.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.20 ¥505

2.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.60 ¥252

179.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.25 ¥197

24.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.25 ¥197

141.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$5.13 ¥810

-51.07%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.88 ¥296

89.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$17.85 ¥2,821

-58.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.33 ¥841

97.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$19.13 ¥3,022

-26.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.70 ¥584

-36.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.87 ¥296

-13.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.89 ¥456

66.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.26 ¥515

-50.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.13 ¥336

78.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.63 ¥416

40.30%

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

$3.64 ¥575

42.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.21 ¥981

220.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.64 ¥260

76.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.15 ¥181

215.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.51 ¥238

-25.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$46.98 ¥7,423

54.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.96 ¥626

-45.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.11 ¥333

-25.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$17.62 ¥2,784

-51.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.60 ¥94.5

153.33%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.5K ¥3.4M

0.61%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$17.8K ¥2.8M

94.38%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$210 ¥33.1K

-54.07%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$24.97 ¥3,944

43.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$22.59 ¥3,570

137.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$55.2 ¥8,724

29.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.82 ¥1,078

15.69%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$127 ¥20.1K

288.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.5K ¥2.0M

-4.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$48.62 ¥7,682

10.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$12.36 ¥1,953

348.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$24.78 ¥3,915

214.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$31.02 ¥4,901

156.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$531 ¥83.9K

48.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$126 ¥20.0K

527.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$468 ¥73.9K

742.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$315 ¥49.8K

350.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,267 ¥674.1K

61.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,883 ¥297.4K

-34.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,537 ¥242.8K

-43.82%

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 Kurume: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Kurume

$126 13.1% 84.1% $668

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Kurume

$299 30.9% 15.2% $54

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Kurume

$94 9.7% 55.7% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Kurume

$257 26.7% 38.5% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Kurume

$53 5.5% 56.2% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kurume

$69 7.1% 21.2% $19

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Kurume

$68 7% 22.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $531 in Kurume. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kurume pays 78% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $44.00 in Kurume for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $299 per month, with Kurume cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Kurume

🕒 Local time

00:10 12:10 AM

15:10 3:10 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

303,316

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Kurume 13,870 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kurume

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 Kurume: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Kurume differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $965 including rent). Kurume is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Kurume. 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: $788 in Nosara versus $531 in Kurume. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kurume – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $965 in Kurume versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kurume but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kurume 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 Kurume 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 Kurume gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.