Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Maoming

For one person, living is cheaper in Maoming: $709 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Maoming
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Maoming Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Maoming

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Maoming

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $709 in Maoming, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Maoming $709

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,137 in Maoming, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Maoming $1,137

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,566 in Maoming, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Maoming $1,566

Nosara costs about 159% more than Maoming, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Maoming is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.62 ¥17.53

371.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$23.74 ¥159

157.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.01 ¥26.83

87.53%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.75 ¥18.36

60.36%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.50 ¥3.35

248.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.29 ¥1.93

351.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.95 ¥6.35

245.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.29 ¥15.32

95.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.74 ¥11.65

-10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.77 ¥11.81

70.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.00 ¥6.67

151.00%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.66 ¥11.09

115.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.96 ¥93.4

-46.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.47 ¥23.17

203.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.04 ¥73.9

26.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.93 ¥12.90

21.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.34 ¥8.99

20.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.55 ¥10.36

209.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.25 ¥8.34

28.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.69 ¥4.64

450.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.95 ¥6.33

288.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.66 ¥4.43

71.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.55 ¥3.66

383.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.37 ¥22.55

53.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.67 ¥78.0

70.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.84 ¥5.59

245.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.54 ¥10.26

135.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.29 ¥1.92

286.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$17.23 ¥115

321.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.51 ¥10.09

41.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.36 ¥2.39

336.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$7.12 ¥47.62

19.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.29 ¥8.64

17.83%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$19.4K ¥129.5K

11.54%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$17.5K ¥117.2K

96.90%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$57.6 ¥385

67.17%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$8.78 ¥58.7

308.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$11.99 ¥80.2

346.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$33.74 ¥226

112.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$15.10 ¥101

131.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.18 ¥41.32

27.67%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$463 ¥3,098

6.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$17.2K ¥115.0K

-31.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$44.17 ¥295

22.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$33.79 ¥226

63.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$80.7 ¥540

-3.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$67.8 ¥453

17.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$257 ¥1,715

207.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$171 ¥1,140

365.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$601 ¥4,017

555.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$339 ¥2,267

318.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,926 ¥26.2K

76.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,723 ¥11.5K

-28.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,026 ¥6,857

-15.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.36

156.55%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Maoming: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Maoming

$171 24.1% 78.5% $624

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Maoming

$212 29.9% 39.8% $140

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Maoming

$78 11.1% 63% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Maoming

$78 11.1% 57.8% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Maoming

$102 14.4% 15.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Maoming

$46 6.5% 47.2% $41

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Maoming

$22 3.1% 75.1% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $257 in Maoming. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 19% higher in Maoming, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $24.00 in Maoming. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $212 – making Maoming the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇳 Maoming

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

17:33 5:33 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,217,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Maoming 16,060 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Maoming

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 Maoming: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 159%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,064 in Maoming. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maoming, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $24.00 in Maoming. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Maoming, where all-in costs run around $709, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Maoming it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Maoming – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Maoming. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.