Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Zhangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangzhou: $716 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Zhangzhou
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Zhangzhou Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Zhangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Zhangzhou

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $716 in Zhangzhou, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Zhangzhou $716

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,132 in Zhangzhou, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Zhangzhou $1,132

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,547 in Zhangzhou, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Zhangzhou $1,547

Nosara costs about 156% more than Zhangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Zhangzhou is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$2.74 ¥18.35

350.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$21.73 ¥145

182.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$4.80 ¥32.11

61.67%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.05 ¥20.39

45.57%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.47 ¥3.16

280.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.27 ¥1.78

377.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$0.90 ¥6.01

260.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.06 ¥13.75

115.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.81 ¥12.13

-14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.59 ¥10.65

93.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$0.90 ¥6.03

181.11%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.55 ¥10.35

122.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$12.58 ¥84.1

-41.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$3.15 ¥21.08

225.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$10.14 ¥67.8

39.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.86 ¥12.45

23.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.25 ¥8.36

31.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.48 ¥9.91

223.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.10 ¥7.38

49.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.73 ¥4.88

427.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.91 ¥6.11

312.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.55 ¥3.70

98.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.56 ¥3.72

362.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.06 ¥20.49

67.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$10.62 ¥71.0

87.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$0.73 ¥4.89

283.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.58 ¥10.55

122.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.29 ¥1.95

320.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$16.89 ¥113

337.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.41 ¥9.43

53.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.32 ¥2.17

387.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$6.55 ¥43.79

32.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.12 ¥7.48

38.39%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.1K ¥127.9K

80.64%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$17.2K ¥115.3K

124.73%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$45.55 ¥305

108.17%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$9.74 ¥65.1

271.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$11.81 ¥79.0

349.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$41.19 ¥275

79.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$13.66 ¥91.4

160.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$5.94 ¥39.75

33.16%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$337 ¥2,251

45.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$16.7K ¥111.4K

-28.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$43.23 ¥289

26.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$30.11 ¥201

85.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$71.1 ¥476

12.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$72.8 ¥487

6.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$282 ¥1,886

183.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$196 ¥1,308

303.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$584 ¥3,902

586.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$361 ¥2,411

290.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$2,977 ¥19.9K

137.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$2,003 ¥13.4K

-38.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.89

121.59%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zhangzhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Zhangzhou

$196 27.3% 75.2% $594

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Zhangzhou

$197 27.5% 43.7% $153

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Zhangzhou

$85 11.8% 60.3% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Zhangzhou

$67 9.4% 63.5% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Zhangzhou

$98 13.7% 19.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Zhangzhou

$53 7.4% 40.8% $37

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Zhangzhou

$21 2.9% 76.2% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $282 in Zhangzhou. 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 Zhangzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $197 – making Zhangzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇳 Zhangzhou

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

06:04 6:04 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

4,809,983

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

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Between locations

Nosara Zhangzhou 15,420 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Zhangzhou

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 Zhangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $716 in Zhangzhou – roughly 156% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,074 in Zhangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 338% less in Zhangzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $337 in Zhangzhou. 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 Zhangzhou, where all-in costs run around $716, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Zhangzhou 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 $716 in Zhangzhou 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 Zhangzhou. 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.