Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Takamatsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Takamatsu: $1,191 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Takamatsu
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Takamatsu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Takamatsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Takamatsu

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,191 in Takamatsu, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Takamatsu $1,191

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,881 in Takamatsu, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Takamatsu $1,881

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,571 in Takamatsu, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Takamatsu $2,571

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

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Takamatsu is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$6.20 ¥980

99.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$31.99 ¥5,054

91.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$5.12 ¥809

51.56%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.13 ¥495

41.85%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.19 ¥189

50.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.80 ¥126

61.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.60 ¥410

24.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.22 ¥508

37.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.50 ¥238

3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.60 ¥252

92.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.76 ¥278

43.75%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.29 ¥361

50.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$10.37 ¥1,639

-29.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$6.60 ¥1,043

55.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$16.83 ¥2,659

-16.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$3.69 ¥583

-37.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.28 ¥360

-28.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.90 ¥458

65.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$4.24 ¥671

-61.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$2.48 ¥391

55.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$2.46 ¥389

52.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.27 ¥201

-14.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.79 ¥124

227.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.67 ¥580

39.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$6.63 ¥1,048

200.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.88 ¥298

48.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.11 ¥333

66.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.46 ¥231

-16.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$53.3 ¥8,414

38.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.18 ¥503

-31.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$2.79 ¥442

-44.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$18.60 ¥2,938

-53.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.06 ¥168

46.23%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.5K ¥3.4M

60.75%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

156.74%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$137 ¥21.6K

-30.66%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$23.78 ¥3,757

52.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$30.79 ¥4,865

72.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$51.7 ¥8,161

42.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$3.11 ¥491

1045.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$11.79 ¥1,862

-32.91%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$521 ¥82.3K

-5.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.7K ¥2.0M

-6.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$48.96 ¥7,736

11.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$31.24 ¥4,936

78.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$60.1 ¥9,499

33.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$90.5 ¥14.3K

-13.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$529 ¥83.6K

51.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$334 ¥52.8K

136.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,089 ¥172.0K

267.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$735 ¥116.1K

91.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$4,144 ¥654.7K

70.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,783 ¥281.6K

-30.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$1,761 ¥278.1K

-49.64%

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 20, 2026

Last update for Takamatsu: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Takamatsu

$334 28.1% 57.7% $455

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Takamatsu

$280 23.5% 19.8% $69

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Takamatsu

$130 10.9% 38.9% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Takamatsu

$191 16.1% 4% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Takamatsu

$104 8.7% 14.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Takamatsu

$75 6.3% 16% $14

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Takamatsu

$76 6.4% 14.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $529 in Takamatsu. 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 99% higher in Takamatsu, 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 Takamatsu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $280 – making Takamatsu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Takamatsu

🕒 Local time

22:11 10:11 PM

13:11 1:11 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

426,514

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Takamatsu 13,550 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Takamatsu

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 Takamatsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,191 in Takamatsu – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,787 in Takamatsu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 39% less in Takamatsu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $521 in Takamatsu. 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 Takamatsu, where all-in costs run around $1,191, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Takamatsu 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 Takamatsu to $1,835 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 Takamatsu. 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.