Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sagamihara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sagamihara: $1,257 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Sagamihara
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Sagamihara Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Sagamihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sagamihara

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,257 in Sagamihara, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Sagamihara $1,257

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,021 in Sagamihara, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Sagamihara $2,021

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,785 in Sagamihara, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Sagamihara $2,785

Nosara costs about 46% more than Sagamihara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Sagamihara is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$8.53 ¥1,348

44.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$32.01 ¥5,057

91.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.91 ¥775

53.16%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.46 ¥389

79.27%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.23 ¥195

41.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.86 ¥135

52.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.11 ¥492

5.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.08 ¥486

45.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.93 ¥147

67.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.62 ¥97.4

387.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$4.18 ¥660

-39.95%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.83 ¥290

95.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$15.74 ¥2,486

-52.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.96 ¥1,099

51.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$17.26 ¥2,727

-19.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.27 ¥358

3.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.60 ¥252

0.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$5.02 ¥794

-4.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$7.96 ¥1,257

-79.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.90 ¥616

-2.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$4.74 ¥749

-22.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.13 ¥178

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.42 ¥67.1

533.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.98 ¥629

30.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$9.59 ¥1,515

107.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.61 ¥412

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.13 ¥337

70.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.32 ¥209

-15.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$47.24 ¥7,463

53.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.09 ¥488

-30.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.81 ¥444

-44.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$15.55 ¥2,457

-45.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.06 ¥167

43.40%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.4K ¥3.4M

0.98%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

128.92%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$117 ¥18.5K

-17.96%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$23.13 ¥3,654

55.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$31.04 ¥4,904

72.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$58.1 ¥9,172

23.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.33 ¥1,790

-30.36%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$580 ¥91.6K

-14.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$14.5K ¥2.3M

-18.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$49.53 ¥7,826

8.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$35.82 ¥5,659

54.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$61.4 ¥9,695

26.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$97.3 ¥15.4K

-18.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$468 ¥73.9K

68.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$362 ¥57.1K

119.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,074 ¥169.7K

266.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$845 ¥133.5K

67.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,844 ¥765.3K

42.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,779 ¥281.0K

-31.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Sagamihara: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Sagamihara

$362 28.8% 54.5% $433

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Sagamihara

$321 25.6% 8.8% $31

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Sagamihara

$143 11.3% 32.7% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Sagamihara

$172 13.6% 7.7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Sagamihara

$110 8.7% 8.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sagamihara

$81 6.4% 7.6% $6.7

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Sagamihara

$70 5.5% 20% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $468 in Sagamihara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $32.00 in Sagamihara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $321 – making Sagamihara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Sagamihara

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

10:23 10:23 AM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

725,493

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Sagamihara 13,090 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sagamihara

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 Sagamihara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,257 in Sagamihara – roughly 46% 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 $1,886 in Sagamihara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 54% less in Sagamihara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $580 in Sagamihara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sagamihara, where all-in costs run around $1,257, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sagamihara 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 $1,257 in Sagamihara 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 Sagamihara. 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.