Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Setagaya-ku

For one person, living is cheaper in Setagaya-ku: $1,183 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Setagaya-ku
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Setagaya-ku Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Setagaya-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,183 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Setagaya-ku $1,183

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,834 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Setagaya-ku $1,834

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,484 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Setagaya-ku $2,484

Nosara costs about 55% more than Setagaya-ku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Setagaya-ku is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.12 ¥968

101.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$25.64 ¥4,050

138.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.36 ¥690

72.48%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.97 ¥470

48.48%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.04 ¥165

67.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.65 ¥102

101.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.19 ¥346

49.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.22 ¥508

38.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.23 ¥194

26.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.72 ¥272

75.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.64 ¥575

-31.04%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.17 ¥186

205.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.40 ¥1,643

-28.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.11 ¥965

72.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.25 ¥2,252

-1.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$5.59 ¥883

-57.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.74 ¥433

-41.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.95 ¥466

62.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.14 ¥654

-61.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.62 ¥415

45.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.63 ¥416

40.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.24 ¥196

-8.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.56 ¥87.7

375.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.79 ¥599

36.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.26 ¥989

217.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.81 ¥287

60.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.09 ¥330

73.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.46 ¥231

-23.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$50.7 ¥8,012

43.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.23 ¥510

-33.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.66 ¥421

-40.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$20.85 ¥3,294

-59.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.10 ¥174

38.18%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.2K ¥3.4M

1.80%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.6K ¥2.9M

85.99%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$131 ¥20.6K

-26.29%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$23.82 ¥3,764

50.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$31.73 ¥5,013

68.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$55.0 ¥8,691

30.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.52 ¥1,820

-31.51%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$636 ¥100.5K

-22.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$14.7K ¥2.3M

-19.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$62.3 ¥9,846

-13.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$36.37 ¥5,747

52.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$62.1 ¥9,814

25.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$102 ¥16.2K

-22.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$534 ¥84.4K

47.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$325 ¥51.4K

144.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,152 ¥182.0K

241.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$674 ¥106.4K

110.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,724 ¥588.4K

85.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,635 ¥258.4K

-25.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

331.00%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Setagaya-ku: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Setagaya-ku

$325 27.5% 59.1% $469

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Setagaya-ku

$281 23.7% 20.3% $72

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Setagaya-ku

$122 10.3% 42.5% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Setagaya-ku

$186 15.7% 0.2% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Setagaya-ku

$118 10% 1.4% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Setagaya-ku

$78 6.6% 10.7% $9.3

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Setagaya-ku

$73 6.2% 16.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $534 in Setagaya-ku. 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 $26.00 in Setagaya-ku. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $281 – making Setagaya-ku the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Setagaya-ku

🕒 Local time

19:24 7:24 PM

10:24 10:24 AM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

943,664

💱 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 Setagaya-ku 13,070 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,183 in Setagaya-ku – roughly 55% 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 $1,775 in Setagaya-ku. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 43% less in Setagaya-ku. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $636 in Setagaya-ku. 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 Setagaya-ku, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Setagaya-ku 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 $1,183 in Setagaya-ku 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 Setagaya-ku. 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.