Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Zhongli City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongli City: $993 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Zhongli City
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Zhongli City Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Zhongli City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$993

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Zhongli City

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $993 in Zhongli City, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Zhongli City $993

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,675 in Zhongli City, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Zhongli City $1,675

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,357 in Zhongli City, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Zhongli City $2,357

Nosara costs about 85% more than Zhongli City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Zhongli City is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.62 NT$150

167.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$31.29 NT$1,015

95.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.77 NT$155

57.65%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.57 NT$83.4

71.60%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.03 NT$33.52

68.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.69 NT$22.35

89.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.61 NT$52.2

103.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.75 NT$89.1

62.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$3.18 NT$103

-50.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.74 NT$56.3

73.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.71 NT$87.9

-7.38%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.60 NT$84.3

37.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.77 NT$414

-41.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$7.09 NT$230

48.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$15.39 NT$499

-9.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.74 NT$121

-37.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.97 NT$63.8

-18.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.08 NT$99.9

55.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.22 NT$72.1

-27.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.23 NT$39.81

208.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.90 NT$61.5

94.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.44 NT$79.0

-53.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.85 NT$27.52

212.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.77 NT$122

37.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$15.45 NT$501

28.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.55 NT$50.2

87.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.55 NT$82.8

42.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.61 NT$19.90

83.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$37.64 NT$1,221

92.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.68 NT$86.8

-20.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.58 NT$18.72

170.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$9.61 NT$312

-11.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.97 NT$31.60

56.70%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$33.1K NT$1.1M

-34.65%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$23.3K NT$754.6K

48.33%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$106 NT$3,433

-9.05%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.76 NT$479

143.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$17.14 NT$556

212.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.62 NT$312

-17.98%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$344 NT$11.1K

43.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$16.9K NT$546.5K

-29.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$72.1 NT$2,338

-25.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$36.46 NT$1,182

51.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$55.0 NT$1,782

41.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$108 NT$3,505

-26.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$448 NT$14.5K

75.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$251 NT$8,125

217.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$874 NT$28.3K

350.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$716 NT$23.2K

98.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,288 NT$74.2K

-62.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.1

310.48%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zhongli City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Zhongli City

$251 25.2% 68.5% $544

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Zhongli City

$315 31.8% 10.5% $37

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Zhongli City

$103 10.3% 51.6% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Zhongli City

$138 13.9% 25.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Zhongli City

$122 12.3% 1.8% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Zhongli City

$19 * 1.9% 78% $68

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Zhongli City

$46 4.6% 47.6% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $448 in Zhongli City. 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 165% higher in Zhongli City, 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 Zhongli City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $315 – making Zhongli City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇼 Zhongli City

🕒 Local time

19:26 7:26 PM

09:26 9:26 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

396,453

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, 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).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Zhongli City 15,160 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Zhongli City

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 Zhongli City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $993 in Zhongli City – roughly 85% 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 $1,490 in Zhongli City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 93% less in Zhongli City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $344 in Zhongli City. 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 Zhongli City, where all-in costs run around $993, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Zhongli City 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 $993 in Zhongli City 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 Zhongli City. 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.