Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Zhubei City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhubei City: $1,055 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
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Zhubei City Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Zhubei 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 Zhubei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,055 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Zhubei City $1,055

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,841 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Zhubei City $1,841

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,627 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Zhubei City $2,627

Nosara costs about 74% more than Zhubei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Zhubei City is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.83 NT$157

155.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$28.00 NT$908

118.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.07 NT$164

48.32%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.89 NT$93.8

52.60%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.91 NT$29.41

91.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.59 NT$19.02

122.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.93 NT$62.5

69.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.33 NT$75.6

91.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.79 NT$90.4

-44.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.87 NT$60.7

61.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$4.59 NT$149

-45.32%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.85 NT$92.5

25.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$24.76 NT$803

-69.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.37 NT$271

25.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$25.93 NT$841

-46.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.04 NT$131

-41.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.42 NT$78.5

-33.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.69 NT$87.3

78.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.27 NT$106

-50.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.02 NT$97.9

25.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.02 NT$65.5

82.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.06 NT$66.9

-45.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.33 NT$43.25

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.88 NT$126

33.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$9.23 NT$299

115.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.43 NT$46.36

102.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.33 NT$75.4

55.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.61 NT$19.85

83.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.10 NT$101

-30.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.64 NT$20.76

145.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$9.25 NT$300

-7.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.99 NT$32.17

53.54%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$33.5K NT$1.1M

-35.44%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$24.8K NT$805.7K

38.93%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$103 NT$3,331

-6.25%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$18.96 NT$615

89.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$22.80 NT$739

135.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$31.40 NT$1,018

127.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.99 NT$324

-21.02%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$646 NT$20.9K

-23.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$16.5K NT$533.8K

-27.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$57.7 NT$1,870

-6.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$31.13 NT$1,010

78.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$90.8 NT$2,946

-14.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$99.0 NT$3,209

-19.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$501 NT$16.2K

57.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$217 NT$7,032

266.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,100 NT$35.7K

258.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$768 NT$24.9K

84.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$16.2K NT$525.9K

-57.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$9,751 NT$316.2K

-87.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,391 NT$77.5K

-63.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.4

259.17%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zhubei City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Zhubei City

$217 20.6% 72.7% $577

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Zhubei City

$400 37.9% 13.5% $47

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Zhubei City

$109 10.3% 48.6% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Zhubei City

$144 13.7% 22.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Zhubei City

$125 11.9% 4.4% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Zhubei City

$51 4.9% 41.2% $36

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Zhubei City

$8.8 * 0.8% 90% $78

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 $501 in Zhubei 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 177% higher in Zhubei 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 $28.00 in Zhubei City. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $400 in Zhubei City – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🕒 Local time

16:34 4:34 PM

06:34 6:34 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

211,746

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Zhubei City 15,180 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Zhubei 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 Zhubei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,055 in Zhubei City – roughly 74% 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 $1,583 in Zhubei City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $28.00 in Zhubei City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhubei City, where all-in costs run around $1,055, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Zhubei 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 $1,055 in Zhubei 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 Zhubei 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.