Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Osaka: $1,400 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,400

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Osaka

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,400 in Osaka, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Osaka $1,400

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,991 in Osaka, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Osaka $1,991

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,582 in Osaka, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Osaka $2,582

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$6.19 ¥978

97.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$31.80 ¥5,026

89.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$4.93 ¥780

52.94%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.00 ¥474

43.67%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.45 ¥228

18.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.72 ¥113

87.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.62 ¥415

23.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.91 ¥618

14.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.46 ¥230

7.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.31 ¥207

141.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$5.25 ¥830

-53.90%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.03 ¥321

75.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$9.77 ¥1,544

-23.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$9.22 ¥1,458

13.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$17.95 ¥2,838

-23.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.29 ¥519

-29.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.00 ¥317

-19.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.11 ¥333

124.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$4.11 ¥649

-59.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.51 ¥239

146.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.19 ¥187

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.30 ¥206

-15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.86 ¥137

196.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$3.82 ¥604

29.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$9.74 ¥1,540

105.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.87 ¥296

49.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.15 ¥498

12.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.34 ¥211

-11.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$32.68 ¥5,165

120.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$3.85 ¥609

-41.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$3.19 ¥504

-51.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$21.93 ¥3,466

-59.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.10 ¥173

42.73%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$21.5K ¥3.4M

1.36%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

128.90%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$140 ¥22.1K

-33.29%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$24.14 ¥3,816

45.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$30.58 ¥4,834

68.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$49.41 ¥7,810

44.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$18.41 ¥2,910

92.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$12.27 ¥1,939

-36.10%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$511 ¥80.8K

-4.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$13.1K ¥2.1M

-9.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$47.50 ¥7,508

12.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$30.12 ¥4,761

85.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$73.4 ¥11.6K

8.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$91.0 ¥14.4K

-13.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$704 ¥111.2K

11.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$508 ¥80.3K

53.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,751 ¥276.8K

120.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$765 ¥120.9K

83.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$6,208 ¥981.2K

12.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,938 ¥306.4K

-38.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$2,346 ¥370.8K

-62.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.21

290.05%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Osaka

$508 36.9% 34.9% $272

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Osaka

$301 21.9% 13.9% $48

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Osaka

$130 9.5% 38% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Osaka

$195 14.2% 8.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Osaka

$109 7.9% 9.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 15.1% $13

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 33.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $704 in Osaka. 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 168% higher in Osaka, 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 $32.00 in Osaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $301 – making Osaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

17:19 5:19 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

2,691,185

💱 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 Osaka 13,430 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Osaka

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 Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,400 in Osaka – 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 $2,100 in Osaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 121% less in Osaka. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $511 in Osaka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Osaka, where all-in costs run around $1,400, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Osaka 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 $1,400 in Osaka 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 Osaka. 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.