Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okayama and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Okayama: $975 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Okayama
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Okayama Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Okayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$975

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okayama and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Okayama and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $975 per month in Okayama vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Okayama $975
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,564 per month in Okayama vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Okayama $1,564
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,153 per month in Okayama vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Okayama $2,153
Nosara $3,814

Okayama is about 47% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Okayama sits 28% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.90 ¥933

$12.34 ₡5,535

-52.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.92 ¥3,937

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-59.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 ¥791

$7.76 ₡3,481

-35.44%

Cappuccino

$1.71 ¥270

$4.44 ₡1,992

-61.49%

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

$0.71 ¥111

$1.79 ₡803

-60.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ¥107

$1.29 ₡580

-47.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 ¥296

$3.24 ₡1,451

-41.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥304

$4.43 ₡1,985

-56.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥214

$1.55 ₡696

-12.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 ¥96.4

$3.08 ₡1,380

-80.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.11 ¥649

$2.53 ₡1,133

62.45%

Eggs

$1.48 ¥234

$3.45 ₡1,546

-57.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.36 ¥2,426

$7.32 ₡3,284

109.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.33 ¥1,000

$10.24 ₡4,594

-38.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.08 ¥2,698

$14.10 ₡6,326

21.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 ¥787

$2.29 ₡1,027

117.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 ¥459

$1.64 ₡737

76.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 ¥781

$4.79 ₡2,149

3.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 ¥701

$1.64 ₡735

170.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 ¥355

$3.85 ₡1,727

-41.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 ¥291

$3.75 ₡1,681

-50.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥180

$1.09 ₡488

4.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥107

$2.59 ₡1,160

-74.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥602

$5.12 ₡2,295

-25.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 ¥1,515

$19.92 ₡8,931

-51.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥306

$2.80 ₡1,255

-30.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥294

$3.52 ₡1,580

-47.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.22 ₡549

18.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.5 ¥8,300

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-28.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 ¥509

$2.17 ₡973

48.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 ¥388

$1.56 ₡698

57.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.52 ¥3,399

$8.67 ₡3,886

148.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 ¥157

$1.55 ₡697

-36.13%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-36.40%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-60.34%

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

$72.1 ¥11.4K

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-24.00%

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

$14.09 ¥2,227

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-61.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.42 ¥4,016

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-52.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 ¥8,321

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-28.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ¥1,790

$7.91 ₡3,548

43.24%

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

$578 ¥91.3K

$490 ₡219.9K

17.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ¥2.4M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

25.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.16 ¥7,766

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-10.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 ¥5,668

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-35.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 ¥9,628

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-24.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.1 ¥15.3K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

24.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 ¥52.0K

$801 ₡359.1K

-58.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥30.4K

$790 ₡354.1K

-75.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 ¥101.7K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-83.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 ¥67.7K

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-69.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 ¥657.1K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-41.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,788 ¥282.4K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

44.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,377 ¥217.6K

$887 ₡397.6K

55.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

8.62

-76.57%

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

Last update for Okayama: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okayama

$311 31.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 12.5% $39

Accommodation & Living

Okayama

$192 19.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 311% $597

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okayama

$112 11.5%

Nosara

$184 10% 64.9% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Okayama

$109 11.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 10.6% $12

Eating Out

Okayama

$102 10.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 110% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Okayama

$75 7.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 19% $14

Getting Around

Okayama

$74 7.6%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 20.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $329 in Okayama versus $801 in Nosara. 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 55% higher in Okayama, 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 $25.00 in Okayama versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $350 – making Okayama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okayama

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

11:41 11:41 AM

15 h behind Okayama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

719,474

4,912

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

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).

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).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Okayama Nosara 13,540 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Okayama
Nosara

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

Okayama vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $975 in Okayama, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 88% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,462 per month in Okayama and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 41% less in Okayama. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $578 per month in Okayama and $490 in Nosara. 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 Okayama, where all-in costs run around $975, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Okayama 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 $975 in Okayama 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 Okayama. 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.