Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Matsuyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Matsuyama: $1,324 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Matsuyama
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Matsuyama Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Matsuyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,324

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Matsuyama

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,324 in Matsuyama, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Matsuyama $1,324

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,006 in Matsuyama, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Matsuyama $2,006

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,689 in Matsuyama, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Matsuyama $2,689

Nosara costs about 39% more than Matsuyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Matsuyama is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.39 ¥1,010

93.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$31.11 ¥4,915

96.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.96 ¥784

51.61%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.32 ¥367

90.09%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.17 ¥185

48.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.61 ¥97.0

114.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.00 ¥316

64.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.28 ¥361

96.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.55 ¥245

0.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.27 ¥201

137.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$5.49 ¥868

-54.28%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.08 ¥329

71.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.39 ¥1,957

-40.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.30 ¥1,470

13.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$31.67 ¥5,003

-55.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.65 ¥576

-35.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.35 ¥371

-31.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$6.48 ¥1,024

-25.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.23 ¥668

-61.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.86 ¥610

-1.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.39 ¥536

8.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.25 ¥197

-9.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.96 ¥152

177.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.51 ¥555

47.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.33 ¥1,317

138.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.95 ¥309

48.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.52 ¥239

138.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.70 ¥268

-34.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$49.46 ¥7,815

46.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.08 ¥486

-30.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.08 ¥487

-49.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$26.94 ¥4,257

-68.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.05 ¥167

44.76%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$19.8K ¥3.1M

8.97%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$16.6K ¥2.6M

107.51%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$143 ¥22.5K

-32.51%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$24.10 ¥3,808

48.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$43.52 ¥6,876

23.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$58.8 ¥9,293

21.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$12.60 ¥1,990

-37.38%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$327 ¥51.7K

50.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,187 ¥977.5K

91.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$48.97 ¥7,737

10.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$24.93 ¥3,938

122.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$46.50 ¥7,347

67.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$66.1 ¥10.4K

20.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$534 ¥84.4K

47.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$374 ¥59.1K

112.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,186 ¥187.3K

232.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$654 ¥103.3K

117.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,764 ¥752.6K

45.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,942 ¥306.8K

-36.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.28

278.07%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Matsuyama: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Matsuyama

$374 28.3% 52.9% $420

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Matsuyama

$381 28.8% 8.2% $29

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Matsuyama

$116 8.7% 45.4% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Matsuyama

$210 15.9% 13.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Matsuyama

$84 6.3% 30.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Matsuyama

$84 6.4% 3.8% $3.4

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Matsuyama

$75 5.7% 14.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $534 in Matsuyama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $31.00 in Matsuyama. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $381 in Matsuyama – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Matsuyama

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

19:09 7:09 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

511,192

💱 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 Matsuyama 13,680 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Matsuyama

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 Matsuyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,324 in Matsuyama – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,985 in Matsuyama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 47% less in Matsuyama. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $327 in Matsuyama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Matsuyama, where all-in costs run around $1,324, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Matsuyama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,324 in Matsuyama to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Matsuyama. 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.