Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Zhangjiagang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiagang: $740 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiagang
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Zhangjiagang Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Zhangjiagang

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $740 in Zhangjiagang, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Zhangjiagang $740

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,149 in Zhangjiagang, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Zhangjiagang $1,149

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,558 in Zhangjiagang, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Zhangjiagang $1,558

Nosara costs about 148% more than Zhangjiagang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Zhangjiagang is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$3.80 ¥25.43

225.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$22.20 ¥148

175.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$4.98 ¥33.31

51.00%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$3.04 ¥20.32

45.07%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$0.49 ¥3.29

255.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.27 ¥1.81

385.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$1.51 ¥10.09

117.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$2.22 ¥14.84

101.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$2.08 ¥13.90

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$2.09 ¥13.95

44.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$0.84 ¥5.64

198.81%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$1.36 ¥9.09

162.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$10.64 ¥71.1

-30.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$2.93 ¥19.60

259.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$9.12 ¥61.0

53.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$2.04 ¥13.66

15.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.29 ¥8.64

24.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$1.80 ¥12.04

166.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.11 ¥7.39

45.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$0.90 ¥5.99

322.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$0.90 ¥6.03

310.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$0.87 ¥5.80

29.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.53 ¥3.51

401.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$3.64 ¥24.37

42.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$13.44 ¥89.9

47.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$0.94 ¥6.27

208.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$1.56 ¥10.44

132.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$0.30 ¥1.99

273.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$17.58 ¥118

313.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$1.76 ¥11.78

21.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$0.39 ¥2.60

302.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$8.76 ¥58.6

-2.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.37 ¥9.14

10.95%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$19.2K ¥128.2K

12.69%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$16.9K ¥112.7K

104.80%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$55.8 ¥373

72.72%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$7.76 ¥51.9

362.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$7.32 ¥48.98

632.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$36.15 ¥242

98.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$16.01 ¥107

118.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$6.07 ¥40.61

29.98%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$418 ¥2,794

18.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$22.3K ¥149.4K

-46.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$42.99 ¥288

25.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$34.04 ¥228

62.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$65.7 ¥439

18.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$88.5 ¥592

-10.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

$280 ¥1,869

181.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

$194 ¥1,295

310.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$719 ¥4,809

447.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

$324 ¥2,168

337.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,266 ¥21.8K

111.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

$1,685 ¥11.3K

-27.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.42

152.05%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiagang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2% 75.6% $601

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6% 42.1% $148

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1% 54.3% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6% 61.9% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1% 13.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5% 44.7% $39

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Zhangjiagang

$22 3% 74.2% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $280 in Zhangjiagang. 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 $22.00 in Zhangjiagang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $204 – making Zhangjiagang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🕒 Local time

22:44 10:44 PM

12:44 12:44 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,432,044

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Zhangjiagang 14,590 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Zhangjiagang

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 Zhangjiagang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $740 in Zhangjiagang – roughly 148% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,110 in Zhangjiagang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 313% less in Zhangjiagang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $418 in Zhangjiagang. 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 Zhangjiagang, where all-in costs run around $740, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Zhangjiagang 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 $740 in Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang. 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.