Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Nago, Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Nago, Okinawa: $1,231 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Nago, Okinawa
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Nago, Okinawa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Nago, Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,231

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Nago, Okinawa

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,231 in Nago, Okinawa, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Nago, Okinawa $1,231

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,923 in Nago, Okinawa, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Nago, Okinawa $1,923

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,614 in Nago, Okinawa, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Nago, Okinawa $2,614

Nosara costs about 49% more than Nago, Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Nago, Okinawa is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$6.82 ¥1,077

80.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$35.35 ¥5,586

73.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$5.68 ¥898

36.62%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.03 ¥479

46.53%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.10 ¥173

62.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.76 ¥121

69.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.10 ¥332

54.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.05 ¥482

45.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.52 ¥239

1.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.64 ¥259

87.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$4.67 ¥738

-45.82%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.28 ¥361

51.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$10.13 ¥1,601

-27.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$6.15 ¥971

66.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$15.49 ¥2,448

-8.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$5.36 ¥847

-57.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.55 ¥402

-35.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$4.13 ¥652

15.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$4.53 ¥716

-63.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$3.24 ¥511

18.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$2.56 ¥404

46.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.38 ¥217

-21.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.88 ¥140

194.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$4.26 ¥674

20.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$6.50 ¥1,027

206.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.91 ¥302

46.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.37 ¥375

48.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.58 ¥250

-22.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$56.0 ¥8,840

32.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.43 ¥542

-36.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$2.87 ¥454

-45.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$21.07 ¥3,329

-58.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.23 ¥194

26.02%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$23.5K ¥3.7M

47.04%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$16.9K ¥2.7M

129.88%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$139 ¥21.9K

-31.62%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$27.18 ¥4,294

33.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$34.51 ¥5,452

53.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$57.1 ¥9,012

29.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$13.97 ¥2,207

155.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$13.04 ¥2,061

-39.34%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$285 ¥45.0K

72.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$13.5K ¥2.1M

-12.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$43.95 ¥6,944

24.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$28.96 ¥4,575

92.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$59.0 ¥9,328

36.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$92.2 ¥14.6K

-15.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$461 ¥72.8K

73.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$328 ¥51.9K

140.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$878 ¥138.6K

356.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$659 ¥104.1K

113.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$2,826 ¥446.5K

149.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,726 ¥272.6K

-28.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

1.81

376.24%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nago, Okinawa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Nago, Okinawa

$328 26.7% 58.4% $461

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Nago, Okinawa

$306 24.9% 12.4% $43

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Nago, Okinawa

$132 10.7% 38% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Nago, Okinawa

$200 16.3% 8.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Nago, Okinawa

$101 8.2% 16.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Nago, Okinawa

$83 6.8% 7.2% $6.5

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Nago, Okinawa

$80 6.5% 9.8% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $461 in Nago, Okinawa. 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 $35.00 in Nago, Okinawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $306 – making Nago, Okinawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Nago, Okinawa

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

03:00 3:00 AM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

63,554

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Nago, Okinawa 14,560 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Nago, Okinawa

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 Nago, Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,847 in Nago, Okinawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 32% less in Nago, Okinawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $285 in Nago, Okinawa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nago, Okinawa, where all-in costs run around $1,231, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Nago, Okinawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nago, Okinawa – 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 Nago, Okinawa. 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.