Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Mito

For one person, living is cheaper in Mito: $1,195 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Mito
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,195
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Mito

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,195 in Mito.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Mito $1,195

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,927 in Mito.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Mito $1,927

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,660 in Mito.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Mito $2,660

Living in Nosara is roughly 54% more expensive than in Mito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Mito is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Mito
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$6.19 ¥979
99.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$40.41 ¥6,384
51.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$5.00 ¥790
50.40%
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$3.40 ¥538
29.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$1.08 ¥171
61.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$0.80 ¥126
63.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
$2.56 ¥404
28.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
$3.18 ¥503
40.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Mito
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$1.40 ¥221
11.43%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$1.66 ¥262
81.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$3.55 ¥561
-29.30%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$2.01 ¥317
77.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$10.23 ¥1,617
-27.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$5.96 ¥942
76.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$14.60 ¥2,307
-4.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$5.51 ¥871
-57.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$2.73 ¥431
-41.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$2.82 ¥446
70.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$4.27 ¥675
-62.30%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$2.53 ¥399
50.20%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$2.67 ¥423
38.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$1.28 ¥201
-11.72%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$0.76 ¥121
250.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$3.71 ¥586
39.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,916
$6.21 ¥980
220.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,300
$1.81 ¥286
60.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,626
$2.07 ¥327
75.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Mito
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡504
$1.62 ¥256
-30.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
$50.8 ¥8,021
43.08%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡958
$3.07 ¥486
-30.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$2.72 ¥430
-42.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
$20.41 ¥3,225
-58.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$1.11 ¥175
36.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$21.0K ¥3.3M
2.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$18.3K ¥2.9M
88.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Mito
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$132 ¥20.8K
-26.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$23.76 ¥3,754
51.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$31.72 ¥5,011
68.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Mito
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$59.7 ¥9,432
19.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
$12.37 ¥1,954
-36.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Mito
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$622 ¥98.2K
-20.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$14.8K ¥2.3M
-20.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Mito
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$61.1 ¥9,648
-11.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$36.44 ¥5,757
52.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$62.0 ¥9,793
25.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$103 ¥16.3K
-22.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Mito
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.4K
$522 ¥82.4K
51.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.2K
$313 ¥49.4K
153.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
$1,107 ¥174.9K
255.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡636.5K
$727 ¥114.8K
95.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
$3,615 ¥571.2K
91.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.0K
$1,962 ¥309.9K
-37.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Mito
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
2.64
226.52%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mito: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Mito
$313 60.6% $482
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Mito
$286 18.7% $66
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Mito
$132 37.7% $80
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Mito
$187 0.8% $1.4
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Mito
$118 1.7% $2
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Mito
$84 3.4% $2.9
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Mito
$74 15.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $522 in Mito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $40.00 in Mito for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $286 per month, with Mito cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇯🇵 Mito
🕒 Local time
02:45 2:45 AM
17:45 5:45 PM
15 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
271,047
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Mito 12,960 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Mito

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 Mito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Nosara or Mito?
Mito wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mito the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Nosara and in Mito?
You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,792 in Mito 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Nosara compared to Mito?
Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $522 in Mito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Nosara or in Mito?
Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How do dining costs compare in Nosara and in Mito?
Dining out is cheaper in Mito – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Nosara or in Mito?
At $1,195 in Mito versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mito but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Mito the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Nosara or Mito?
Both work as nomad bases, but Mito delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,195 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mito hard to pass up.
How safe is Nosara compared to Mito?
Safety-wise, Nosara and Mito are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Mito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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