Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Miyazaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Miyazaki: $1,101 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Miyazaki
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,101
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Miyazaki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,101 in Miyazaki.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Miyazaki $1,101

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,713 in Miyazaki.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Miyazaki $1,713

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,326 in Miyazaki.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Miyazaki $2,326

Living in Nosara is roughly 67% more expensive than in Miyazaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Miyazaki is 18% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Miyazaki
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$6.09 ¥962
102.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$27.09 ¥4,280
125.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$4.64 ¥734
62.07%
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$2.27 ¥359
94.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$1.05 ¥166
65.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$0.62 ¥97.6
111.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
$1.56 ¥247
110.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
$2.27 ¥359
96.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Miyazaki
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$1.30 ¥205
20.00%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$1.56 ¥246
93.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$2.55 ¥403
-1.57%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$2.09 ¥330
70.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$12.78 ¥2,020
-41.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$5.48 ¥866
91.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$18.80 ¥2,970
-25.69%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$3.55 ¥561
-33.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$1.76 ¥278
-8.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$2.81 ¥444
70.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$3.24 ¥512
-50.31%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$1.86 ¥293
104.30%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$1.92 ¥303
92.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$0.65 ¥103
73.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$0.92 ¥145
189.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$4.02 ¥636
28.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,916
$6.13 ¥969
224.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,300
$1.69 ¥267
71.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,626
$1.84 ¥290
97.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Miyazaki
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡504
$1.50 ¥236
-25.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
$60.4 ¥9,534
20.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡958
$3.39 ¥535
-36.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$2.00 ¥316
-21.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
$16.12 ¥2,547
-47.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$1.06 ¥167
43.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$21.7K ¥3.4M
-0.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$15.3K ¥2.4M
126.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Miyazaki
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$107 ¥16.9K
-10.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$24.40 ¥3,854
47.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$33.64 ¥5,314
59.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Miyazaki
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$48.02 ¥7,587
49.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
$11.09 ¥1,752
-28.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Miyazaki
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$125 ¥19.7K
296.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$12.4K ¥2.0M
-4.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Miyazaki
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$48.06 ¥7,593
12.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$25.09 ¥3,963
120.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$57.2 ¥9,034
36.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$46.45 ¥7,339
71.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Miyazaki
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.4K
$534 ¥84.4K
47.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.2K
$325 ¥51.3K
144.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
$1,172 ¥185.2K
235.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡636.5K
$658 ¥104.0K
115.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
$4,471 ¥706.4K
54.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.0K
$1,915 ¥302.6K
-36.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Miyazaki
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
$1,253 ¥198.0K
-31.08%
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 Miyazaki: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Miyazaki
$325 59.1% $469
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Miyazaki
$272 22.7% $80
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Miyazaki
$109 48.6% $103
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Miyazaki
$165 11.1% $21
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Miyazaki
$80 33.8% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Miyazaki
$70 19.7% $17
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Miyazaki
$80 8.5% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $534 in Miyazaki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Miyazaki pays 45% 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 $27.00 in Miyazaki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $272 per month, with Miyazaki cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇯🇵 Miyazaki
🕒 Local time
22:41 10:41 PM
13:41 1:41 PM
15 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
401,339
💱 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 Miyazaki 13,910 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Miyazaki

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 Miyazaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Nosara and in Miyazaki?
Nosara and Miyazaki differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,101 including rent). Miyazaki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Miyazaki. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Nosara and in Miyazaki?
Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $534 in Miyazaki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Miyazaki – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Nosara or Miyazaki?
All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,101 in Miyazaki – a 67% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,101 in Miyazaki versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Miyazaki but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Miyazaki the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Nosara and Miyazaki?
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.
Is Nosara or Miyazaki safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Nosara and Miyazaki are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Nosara or Miyazaki?
Expats usually find Miyazaki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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