Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Pingtung city

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingtung city: $909 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Pingtung city
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Pingtung city Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $909 in Pingtung city, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Pingtung city $909

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,474 in Pingtung city, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Pingtung city $1,474

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,038 in Pingtung city, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Pingtung city $2,038

Nosara costs about 102% more than Pingtung city, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Pingtung city is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.52 NT$179

123.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$31.64 NT$1,026

93.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.71 NT$153

59.66%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.87 NT$93.1

53.66%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.98 NT$31.82

77.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.68 NT$21.92

92.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.54 NT$49.83

112.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.52 NT$81.6

77.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$3.22 NT$104

-51.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.91 NT$62.0

58.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.60 NT$84.2

-3.46%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.65 NT$86.0

34.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$15.60 NT$506

-52.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.06 NT$261

30.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$15.09 NT$489

-7.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.33 NT$140

-45.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.87 NT$60.7

-13.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.49 NT$80.8

92.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.19 NT$104

-49.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.18 NT$38.37

222.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.93 NT$62.7

91.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.33 NT$75.6

-51.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.85 NT$27.60

212.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.81 NT$123

35.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$15.42 NT$500

28.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.55 NT$50.2

87.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.24 NT$72.5

62.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.49 NT$15.89

128.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.70 NT$87.5

-20.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.74 NT$24.04

112.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.40 NT$207

33.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.03 NT$33.32

47.57%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$34.1K NT$1.1M

-36.57%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$23.0K NT$746.1K

50.02%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$111 NT$3,590

-13.02%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$15.11 NT$490

137.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$25.70 NT$833

108.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.58 NT$311

-17.64%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$344 NT$11.2K

43.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$14.0K NT$453.1K

-15.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$70.8 NT$2,297

-23.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$31.23 NT$1,013

77.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$82.4 NT$2,670

-5.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$104 NT$3,359

-23.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$247 NT$8,018

218.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$155 NT$5,023

412.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$746 NT$24.2K

427.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$375 NT$12.2K

278.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,912 NT$62.0K

-54.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.27

279.74%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pingtung city: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Pingtung city

$155 17% 80.5% $639

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Pingtung city

$334 36.7% 5.3% $19

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Pingtung city

$112 12.3% 47.1% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Pingtung city

$152 16.7% 18.4% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Pingtung city

$130 14.3% 7.9% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Pingtung city

$19 * 2.1% 78.1% $68

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Pingtung city

$8.4 * 0.9% 90.4% $79

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $247 in Pingtung city. 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 121% higher in Pingtung city, 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 $32.00 in Pingtung city. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $334 – making Pingtung city the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇼 Pingtung city

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

07:57 7:57 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

201,644

💱 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 Pingtung city 15,400 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Pingtung 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 Pingtung city: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $909 in Pingtung city – roughly 102% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,364 in Pingtung city. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pingtung city, 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 $32.00 in Pingtung city. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pingtung city, where all-in costs run around $909, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Pingtung city 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 $909 in Pingtung city to $1,839 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 Pingtung city. 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.