Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Okinawa: $1,399 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in 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 Okinawa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,399 in Okinawa, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Okinawa $1,399

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $2,189 in Okinawa, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Okinawa $2,189

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,979 in Okinawa, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Okinawa $2,979

Nosara costs about 31% more than Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Okinawa sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Okinawa by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$10.13 ¥1,602

20.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$39.78 ¥6,288

51.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.04 ¥1,112

7.10%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.26 ¥674

1.17%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.47 ¥233

17.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.00 ¥158

35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.01 ¥318

61.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.55 ¥719

-1.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.64 ¥258

-4.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.15 ¥340

47.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$3.84 ¥606

-36.98%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.75 ¥277

104.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$17.94 ¥2,835

-58.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.87 ¥770

113.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$22.16 ¥3,503

-38.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.62 ¥572

-35.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.63 ¥416

-38.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.14 ¥338

121.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$5.18 ¥819

-67.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.41 ¥380

54.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.58 ¥407

38.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.31 ¥207

-16.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.74 ¥117

244.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$3.99 ¥630

24.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$6.42 ¥1,015

211.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.87 ¥295

49.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.19 ¥504

10.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.47 ¥232

-19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$67.2 ¥10.6K

7.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$3.97 ¥627

-43.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$3.56 ¥563

-56.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$11.44 ¥1,808

-22.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.09 ¥173

44.04%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$21.3K ¥3.4M

2.60%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$15.4K ¥2.4M

124.82%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$162 ¥25.6K

-42.29%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$24.91 ¥3,938

40.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$53.8 ¥8,503

-4.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$71.3 ¥11.3K

0.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$54.9 ¥8,679

-35.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$12.17 ¥1,924

-35.58%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$329 ¥52.0K

48.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$5,538 ¥875.3K

114.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$50.1 ¥7,913

6.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$23.29 ¥3,681

139.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$78.8 ¥12.5K

0.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$94.6 ¥14.9K

-16.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$404 ¥63.9K

94.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$328 ¥51.9K

137.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$826 ¥130.5K

367.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$663 ¥104.8K

112.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$8,594 ¥1.4M

-18.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,206 ¥190.6K

-0.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,849 ¥292.3K

-52.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.23

286.55%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Okinawa

$328 23.8% 57.9% $452

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Okinawa

$328 23.8% 6.1% $21

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Okinawa

$182 13.2% 12.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Okinawa

$241 17.4% 33.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Okinawa

$111 8% 7.8% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Okinawa

$96 6.9% 9.9% $8.6

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Okinawa

$95 6.9% 9.2% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $404 in Okinawa. 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 111% higher in Okinawa, 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $40.00 in Okinawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $328 – making Okinawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

17:12 5:12 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

142,752

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Okinawa 14,580 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
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 Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,399 in Okinawa – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $2,098 in Okinawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in 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 7% less in Okinawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $329 in 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 Okinawa, where all-in costs run around $1,399, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Okinawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,399 in Okinawa to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 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.