Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Shiga

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiga: $1,191 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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 Shiga
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Shiga Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Shiga

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Shiga

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,191 in Shiga, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Shiga $1,191

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,880 in Shiga, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Shiga $1,880

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,568 in Shiga, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Shiga $2,568

Nosara costs about 54% more than Shiga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.14 ¥970

101.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$31.73 ¥5,013

92.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.96 ¥783

51.61%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.90 ¥458

52.07%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.28 ¥202

35.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.69 ¥108

89.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.69 ¥425

21.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.50 ¥554

27.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.28 ¥203

21.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.29 ¥204

134.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.81 ¥602

-34.12%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.05 ¥325

74.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.35 ¥1,478

-20.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.43 ¥1,490

11.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.30 ¥2,891

-23.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.26 ¥515

-27.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.01 ¥318

-19.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.04 ¥322

135.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.10 ¥647

-60.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.57 ¥248

142.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.17 ¥184

215.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.30 ¥205

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.86 ¥136

209.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.88 ¥614

33.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$9.26 ¥1,462

114.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.95 ¥308

48.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.14 ¥495

15.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.10 ¥174

1.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$52.9 ¥8,350

37.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.70 ¥584

-42.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.09 ¥488

-49.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$21.14 ¥3,340

-59.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.04 ¥165

46.15%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-0.36%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

127.89%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$137 ¥21.6K

-29.71%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$24.21 ¥3,825

48.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$18.71 ¥2,955

186.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$52.5 ¥8,288

36.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.77 ¥1,859

-32.97%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$518 ¥81.8K

-4.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.8K ¥2.0M

-7.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$47.28 ¥7,469

14.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$30.38 ¥4,800

82.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$73.6 ¥11.6K

5.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$91.0 ¥14.4K

-12.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$536 ¥84.7K

47.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$329 ¥52.1K

141.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,113 ¥175.8K

253.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$724 ¥114.3K

96.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,138 ¥653.7K

67.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,525 ¥241.0K

-19.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,192 ¥188.3K

-27.54%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Shiga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Shiga

$330 27.7% 58.5% $465

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Shiga

$293 24.6% 16.7% $59

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Shiga

$127 10.7% 40% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Shiga

$180 15.1% 3.1% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Shiga

$109 9.2% 9.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Shiga

$76 6.4% 13% $11

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Shiga

$76 6.4% 12.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $536 in Shiga. 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 38% higher in Shiga, 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 Shiga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $293 – making Shiga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Shiga

🕒 Local time

03:07 3:07 AM

18:07 6:07 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

23,836

💱 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 Shiga 13,360 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Shiga

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 Shiga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,191 in Shiga – roughly 54% 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 $1,787 in Shiga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 37% less in Shiga. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $518 in Shiga. 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 Shiga, where all-in costs run around $1,191, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Shiga 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 $1,191 in Shiga 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 Shiga. 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.