Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Tsushima Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsushima Island: $1,243 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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 Tsushima Island
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Tsushima Island Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Tsushima Island

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,243

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Tsushima Island

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,243 in Tsushima Island, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Tsushima Island $1,243

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,932 in Tsushima Island, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Tsushima Island $1,932

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,621 in Tsushima Island, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Tsushima Island $2,621

Nosara costs about 48% more than Tsushima Island, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Tsushima Island is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.05 ¥1,115

75.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$34.88 ¥5,511

75.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.41 ¥855

39.00%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.10 ¥489

42.26%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.09 ¥172

59.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.76 ¥121

72.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.14 ¥338

53.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.04 ¥480

47.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.51 ¥239

3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.65 ¥261

83.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$4.90 ¥774

-48.78%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.32 ¥366

53.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.15 ¥1,604

-26.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.14 ¥970

71.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$15.73 ¥2,485

-11.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$5.23 ¥826

-55.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.55 ¥402

-36.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.07 ¥644

17.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.65 ¥735

-65.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.31 ¥523

14.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.68 ¥424

37.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.38 ¥218

-18.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.88 ¥139

202.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.21 ¥665

23.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.52 ¥1,031

204.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.01 ¥317

44.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.30 ¥364

57.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.67 ¥264

-32.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$55.2 ¥8,717

31.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.45 ¥546

-37.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.91 ¥460

-46.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$21.07 ¥3,329

-59.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.24 ¥196

22.58%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$23.1K ¥3.6M

-6.33%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$17.2K ¥2.7M

100.88%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$139 ¥21.9K

-30.69%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$26.86 ¥4,244

33.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$34.31 ¥5,420

56.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$58.7 ¥9,269

22.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$13.77 ¥2,176

153.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$13.36 ¥2,111

-40.94%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$283 ¥44.7K

74.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$13.3K ¥2.1M

-11.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$42.68 ¥6,742

26.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$29.86 ¥4,717

85.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$59.3 ¥9,365

31.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$90.5 ¥14.3K

-12.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$463 ¥73.1K

70.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$334 ¥52.8K

137.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$877 ¥138.6K

348.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$657 ¥103.8K

115.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,841 ¥448.8K

143.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,775 ¥280.5K

-31.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

1.81

376.24%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tsushima Island: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Tsushima Island

$334 26.9% 57.9% $460

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Tsushima Island

$309 24.9% 12.3% $43

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Tsushima Island

$134 10.8% 36.7% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Tsushima Island

$200 16.1% 7.7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Tsushima Island

$100 8.1% 16.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Tsushima Island

$85 6.9% 2.3% $2

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Tsushima Island

$80 6.4% 8.3% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $463 in Tsushima Island. 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 $35.00 in Tsushima Island. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $309 – making Tsushima Island the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Tsushima Island

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

19:02 7:02 PM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

28,000

💱 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 →

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Nosara Tsushima Island 13,870 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

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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 Tsushima Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,243 in Tsushima Island – roughly 48% 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 $1,864 in Tsushima Island. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 32% less in Tsushima Island. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $283 in Tsushima Island. 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 Tsushima Island, where all-in costs run around $1,243, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Tsushima Island 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 $1,243 in Tsushima Island 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 Tsushima Island. 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.