Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and New Taipei City

For one person, living is cheaper in New Taipei City: $1,211 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
59

Cost of Living Index in New Taipei City
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New Taipei City Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

New Taipei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,211

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in New Taipei City

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 New Taipei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,211 in New Taipei City.

Nosara $1,839
New Taipei City $1,211

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,026 in New Taipei City.

Nosara $2,828
New Taipei City $2,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,841 in New Taipei City.

Nosara $3,818
New Taipei City $2,841

Living in Nosara is roughly 52% more expensive than in New Taipei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, New Taipei City is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.77 NT$155

158.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$31.06 NT$1,007

96.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.02 NT$163

49.80%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.27 NT$73.5

94.27%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.88 NT$28.40

97.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.56 NT$18.22

133.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.58 NT$51.3

107.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.57 NT$83.4

73.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$3.13 NT$102

-50.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.81 NT$58.6

66.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.17 NT$70.5

15.67%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.20 NT$71.3

62.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$24.39 NT$791

-69.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.58 NT$343

-0.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$19.26 NT$625

-27.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.99 NT$129

-41.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.54 NT$82.4

-36.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.68 NT$86.8

79.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.98 NT$129

-59.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$4.06 NT$132

-6.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.06 NT$66.7

79.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.61 NT$52.4

-29.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.08 NT$35.18

146.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.33 NT$140

19.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$9.14 NT$296

117.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.39 NT$45.09

108.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.42 NT$78.4

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.82 NT$26.53

36.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$36.86 NT$1,195

97.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.82 NT$91.4

-24.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.92 NT$29.96

70.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$9.46 NT$307

-9.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.00 NT$32.44

52.00%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$33.3K NT$1.1M

-35.02%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$24.5K NT$793.2K

41.12%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$114 NT$3,682

-15.19%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.72 NT$542

114.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.01 NT$746

132.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$38.40 NT$1,245

86.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$8.04 NT$261

334.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$12.49 NT$405

-36.83%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$639 NT$20.7K

-22.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$21.5K NT$696.7K

-44.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$35.61 NT$1,155

51.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$30.90 NT$1,002

79.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$92.5 NT$3,000

-15.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$100 NT$3,247

-20.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$641 NT$20.8K

22.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$348 NT$11.3K

128.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,406 NT$45.6K

180.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$927 NT$30.0K

53.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$12.4K NT$402.0K

-44.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$7,282 NT$236.1K

-83.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,418 NT$46.0K

-39.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.81

206.76%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for New Taipei City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

New Taipei City

$348 28.8% 56.2% $446

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

New Taipei City

$382 31.6% 8.5% $30

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

New Taipei City

$99 8.2% 53.2% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

New Taipei City

$153 12.7% 17.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

New Taipei City

$117 9.6% 2.9% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

New Taipei City

$63 5.2% 27.4% $24

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

New Taipei City

$48 3.9% 45.4% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $641 in New Taipei City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Taipei City pays 64% 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 $31.00 in New Taipei City. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $382, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇼 New Taipei City

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

07:40 7:40 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

4,004,367

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, 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).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara New Taipei City 15,150 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
New Taipei City

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 New Taipei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and New Taipei City differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,211 including rent). New Taipei City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in New Taipei City. 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 $641 in New Taipei City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,211 in New Taipei City – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in New Taipei City runs roughly 97% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,211 in New Taipei City versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in New Taipei City but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes New Taipei City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Nosara and New Taipei City 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 New Taipei City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.