Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Wakayama

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakayama: $1,276 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Wakayama
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Wakayama Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Wakayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Wakayama

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,276 in Wakayama, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Wakayama $1,276

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $2,031 in Wakayama, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Wakayama $2,031

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,785 in Wakayama, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Wakayama $2,785

Nosara costs about 44% more than Wakayama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Wakayama is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$6.47 ¥1,022

90.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$31.22 ¥4,932

96.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$4.89 ¥773

58.69%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.46 ¥389

80.49%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.25 ¥197

43.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.86 ¥136

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$3.20 ¥506

1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$1.85 ¥293

139.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.57 ¥248

-1.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.53 ¥242

101.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$4.27 ¥675

-40.75%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.11 ¥334

63.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$16.04 ¥2,534

-54.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$7.05 ¥1,114

45.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$17.10 ¥2,701

-17.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$8.20 ¥1,296

-72.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$3.02 ¥478

-45.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$5.15 ¥814

-6.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$7.94 ¥1,255

-79.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$4.01 ¥633

-3.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$4.59 ¥726

-18.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.14 ¥179

-4.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.88 ¥139

194.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.99 ¥630

28.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$9.33 ¥1,475

113.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$2.49 ¥393

12.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.15 ¥340

63.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.50 ¥236

-18.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$53.8 ¥8,496

37.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.07 ¥485

-29.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$2.91 ¥460

-46.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$15.69 ¥2,478

-44.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.06 ¥167

46.23%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

57.18%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$15.0K ¥2.4M

157.63%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$117 ¥18.4K

-18.78%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$23.45 ¥3,705

54.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$31.45 ¥4,968

68.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$51.3 ¥8,109

43.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$11.21 ¥1,771

-29.44%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$564 ¥89.1K

-13.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-19.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$49.37 ¥7,800

10.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$35.42 ¥5,596

57.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$59.4 ¥9,385

35.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$98.7 ¥15.6K

-21.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$526 ¥83.1K

52.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$337 ¥53.3K

134.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,093 ¥172.7K

266.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$738 ¥116.5K

91.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$4,206 ¥664.5K

67.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,756 ¥277.4K

-29.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$3,965 ¥626.4K

-77.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

1.67

416.17%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Wakayama: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Wakayama

$337 26.4% 57.3% $452

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Wakayama

$382 30% 9.3% $33

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Wakayama

$124 9.7% 41.6% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Wakayama

$172 13.5% 6.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Wakayama

$109 8.6% 9.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Wakayama

$74 5.8% 17.7% $16

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Wakayama

$77 6.1% 12.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $526 in Wakayama. 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 347% higher in Wakayama, 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 $31.00 in Wakayama. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $382 in Wakayama – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇯🇵 Wakayama

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

05:28 5:28 AM

15 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

362,163

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Wakayama 13,480 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Wakayama

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 Wakayama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,276 in Wakayama – roughly 44% 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 $1,914 in Wakayama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $564 in Wakayama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Wakayama, where all-in costs run around $1,276, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Wakayama 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 $1,276 in Wakayama 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 Wakayama. 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.