Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Tsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsu: $1,269 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Tsu
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Tsu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Tsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Tsu

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,269 in Tsu, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Tsu $1,269

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,979 in Tsu, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Tsu $1,979

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,688 in Tsu, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Tsu $2,688

Nosara costs about 45% more than Tsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Tsu is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.48 ¥1,023

90.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$17.81 ¥2,814

243.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$3.84 ¥606

95.83%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.34 ¥370

88.46%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.19 ¥188

46.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.63 ¥98.8

107.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.00 ¥317

64.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.34 ¥369

91.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.51 ¥238

3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.26 ¥199

139.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$5.42 ¥856

-53.69%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.99 ¥315

79.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.71 ¥2,008

-41.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.73 ¥1,537

8.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$32.13 ¥5,076

-56.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.78 ¥596

-37.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.28 ¥361

-29.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$6.23 ¥985

-22.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.19 ¥661

-61.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.86 ¥610

-1.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.53 ¥558

4.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.28 ¥202

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.01 ¥159

163.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.52 ¥557

47.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.02 ¥1,266

147.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.03 ¥321

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.45 ¥230

150.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.50 ¥236

-25.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$52.4 ¥8,283

38.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.17 ¥502

-32.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.08 ¥486

-49.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$26.27 ¥4,151

-67.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.07 ¥169

42.06%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$19.0K ¥3.0M

13.90%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$16.3K ¥2.6M

111.72%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$147 ¥23.3K

-34.67%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$24.31 ¥3,840

47.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$43.93 ¥6,940

21.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$51.9 ¥8,195

38.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$12.83 ¥2,028

172.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.17 ¥1,290

-3.43%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$318 ¥50.3K

55.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,203 ¥980.0K

91.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$49.88 ¥7,880

8.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$24.95 ¥3,941

122.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$44.99 ¥7,108

73.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$66.1 ¥10.4K

20.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$521 ¥82.4K

51.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$327 ¥51.7K

142.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,113 ¥175.9K

253.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$726 ¥114.7K

95.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,165 ¥658.0K

65.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,745 ¥275.8K

-29.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,509 ¥238.4K

-42.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

1.9

353.68%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tsu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Tsu

$327 25.8% 58.8% $467

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Tsu

$384 30.2% 9% $32

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Tsu

$113 8.9% 46.5% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Tsu

$216 17% 16.1% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Tsu

$84 6.6% 30.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Tsu

$68 5.4% 21.9% $19

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Tsu

$77 6.1% 11.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $521 in Tsu. 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 75% higher in Tsu, 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 $18.00 in Tsu. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $384 in Tsu – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Tsu

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

14:12 2:12 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

279,241

💱 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 Tsu 13,350 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Tsu

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 Tsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,269 in Tsu – roughly 45% 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 $1,903 in Tsu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tsu, 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 Tsu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $318 in Tsu. 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 Tsu, where all-in costs run around $1,269, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Tsu 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 $1,269 in Tsu 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 Tsu. 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.