Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Narita

For one person, living is cheaper in Narita: $1,198 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.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Narita
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Narita Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Narita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,198

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Narita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,198 in Narita.

Nosara $1,839
Narita $1,198

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,862 in Narita.

Nosara $2,828
Narita $1,862

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,527 in Narita.

Nosara $3,818
Narita $2,527

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.72 ¥904

115.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$40.53 ¥6,403

50.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.32 ¥682

74.07%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.08 ¥486

43.18%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.74 ¥117

135.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.80 ¥126

63.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.09 ¥330

56.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.10 ¥489

44.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.29 ¥203

20.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.74 ¥275

73.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.59 ¥567

-30.08%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.01 ¥317

77.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.31 ¥1,628

-27.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.88 ¥929

78.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.64 ¥2,312

-4.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$5.75 ¥909

-59.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.68 ¥423

-39.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.88 ¥455

66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.26 ¥673

-62.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.52 ¥398

50.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.53 ¥399

45.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.28 ¥203

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.79 ¥125

236.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.83 ¥606

35.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.12 ¥968

224.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.74 ¥275

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.08 ¥328

74.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.45 ¥229

-22.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$59.9 ¥9,458

21.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.17 ¥500

-32.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.62 ¥257

-3.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$20.39 ¥3,221

-58.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.04 ¥165

46.15%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.2K ¥3.4M

1.82%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.6K ¥2.9M

85.95%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$134 ¥21.1K

-28.05%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$24.48 ¥3,867

46.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.93 ¥4,413

91.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$52.2 ¥8,250

37.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.31 ¥1,786

-30.24%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$631 ¥99.7K

-21.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$14.9K ¥2.4M

-20.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$63.4 ¥10.0K

-14.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$37.27 ¥5,888

48.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$61.1 ¥9,657

27.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$101 ¥15.9K

-20.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$541 ¥85.5K

45.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$336 ¥53.1K

136.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$996 ¥157.3K

295.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$633 ¥100.0K

124.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,458 ¥704.3K

55.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,527 ¥241.3K

-19.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,280 ¥202.2K

-32.52%

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 Narita: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Narita

$336 28.1% 57.7% $458

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Narita

$287 24% 18.6% $65

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Narita

$118 9.9% 44.1% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Narita

$186 15.6% 0.3% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Narita

$118 9.9% 1.7% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Narita

$75 6.3% 14.4% $13

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Narita

$77 6.4% 11.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $541 in Narita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Narita pays 48% 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 $41.00 in Narita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $287 per month, with Narita cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Narita

🕒 Local time

17:20 5:20 PM

08:20 8:20 AM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

131,613

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Narita 13,010 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Narita

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 Narita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Narita is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 54% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Narita. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $541 in Narita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Narita runs roughly 21% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $631 in Narita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,198 in Narita versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Narita but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Narita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Narita is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Narita are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Narita 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.