Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Nishinomiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Nishinomiya: $1,282 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Nishinomiya
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Nishinomiya Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Nishinomiya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,282

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Nishinomiya

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,282 in Nishinomiya, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Nishinomiya $1,282

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,060 in Nishinomiya, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Nishinomiya $2,060

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,839 in Nishinomiya, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Nishinomiya $2,839

Nosara costs about 43% more than Nishinomiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Nishinomiya is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$8.48 ¥1,339

45.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$31.23 ¥4,934

95.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.17 ¥817

45.45%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.29 ¥362

92.58%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.19 ¥188

46.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.62 ¥98.1

111.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.01 ¥318

63.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.36 ¥373

89.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.50 ¥238

4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.49 ¥236

102.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$5.45 ¥860

-53.94%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.12 ¥334

68.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.62 ¥1,994

-41.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.42 ¥1,489

11.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$31.69 ¥5,006

-55.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$5.12 ¥809

-54.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.73 ¥273

-6.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.06 ¥483

56.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$6.11 ¥965

-73.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.62 ¥256

134.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.56 ¥405

44.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.17 ¥185

-3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.89 ¥141

198.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.40 ¥537

52.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$9.29 ¥1,467

113.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.38 ¥377

21.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.45 ¥230

150.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.47 ¥232

-23.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$58.4 ¥9,229

24.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.24 ¥512

-33.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.78 ¥440

-43.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$15.48 ¥2,446

-44.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.11 ¥176

36.94%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$20.3K ¥3.2M

6.26%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$15.2K ¥2.4M

127.10%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$118 ¥18.6K

-18.21%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.94 ¥3,624

56.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$30.96 ¥4,891

73.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$62.6 ¥9,885

14.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.45 ¥1,808

-31.09%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$326 ¥51.5K

51.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,020 ¥951.1K

96.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$50.8 ¥8,022

6.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$25.03 ¥3,954

121.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$46.31 ¥7,316

68.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$65.4 ¥10.3K

21.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$608 ¥96.1K

29.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$348 ¥55.1K

127.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$970 ¥153.3K

306.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$802 ¥126.7K

77.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,842 ¥764.9K

42.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,783 ¥281.6K

-31.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,988 ¥314.0K

-56.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.02

326.73%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nishinomiya: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Nishinomiya

$348 27.2% 56.1% $446

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Nishinomiya

$378 29.5% 7.2% $26

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Nishinomiya

$133 10.4% 37.3% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Nishinomiya

$172 13.4% 7.6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Nishinomiya

$84 6.6% 29.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Nishinomiya

$85 6.7% 2.2% $1.9

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Nishinomiya

$81 6.4% 6.5% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $608 in Nishinomiya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 130% higher in Nishinomiya, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $31.00 in Nishinomiya. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $378 in Nishinomiya – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Nishinomiya

🕒 Local time

03:56 3:56 AM

18:56 6:56 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

488,873

💱 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 →

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Nosara Nishinomiya 13,430 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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Nosara
Nishinomiya

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 Nishinomiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,923 in Nishinomiya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $31.00 in Nishinomiya. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $1,282 in Nishinomiya. That's a gap of about 43%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nishinomiya, where all-in costs run around $1,282, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Nishinomiya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nishinomiya – 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 Nishinomiya. 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.