Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okazaki and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Okazaki: $1,313 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Okazaki
Learn more

Okazaki Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Okazaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,313

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,313 per month in Okazaki vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Okazaki $1,313
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,013 per month in Okazaki vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Okazaki $2,013
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,713 per month in Okazaki vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Okazaki $2,713
Nosara $3,818

Okazaki is about 29% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Okazaki sits 3% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.60 ¥1,200

$12.35 ₡5,539

-38.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.06 ¥4,907

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-49.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 ¥785

$7.52 ₡3,373

-33.91%

Cappuccino

$2.39 ¥378

$4.41 ₡1,978

-45.80%

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

$1.19 ¥189

$1.74 ₡780

-31.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥98.0

$1.31 ₡587

-52.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 ¥332

$3.28 ₡1,471

-35.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ¥354

$4.47 ₡2,004

-49.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.56 ₡701

-5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ¥207

$3.02 ₡1,355

-56.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.53 ¥874

$2.51 ₡1,125

120.32%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥322

$3.57 ₡1,603

-42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.85 ¥2,030

$7.43 ₡3,333

72.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 ¥1,518

$10.52 ₡4,717

-8.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.52 ¥5,138

$13.97 ₡6,265

132.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 ¥585

$2.35 ₡1,052

57.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 ¥369

$1.61 ₡720

45.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.44 ¥1,017

$4.80 ₡2,152

34.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 ¥646

$1.61 ₡724

154.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 ¥607

$3.80 ₡1,703

1.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 ¥544

$3.69 ₡1,657

-6.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.13 ₡507

15.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥160

$2.66 ₡1,191

-62.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ¥545

$5.18 ₡2,321

-33.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 ¥1,262

$19.88 ₡8,916

-59.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥321

$2.90 ₡1,300

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ¥239

$3.63 ₡1,626

-58.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.12 ₡504

16.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.6 ¥8,619

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-24.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥495

$2.14 ₡958

46.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 ¥484

$1.57 ₡703

94.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.40 ¥4,171

$8.52 ₡3,823

209.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥172

$1.52 ₡682

-28.29%

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

$20.3K ¥3.2M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-5.85%

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

$16.6K ¥2.6M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-52.03%

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

$142 ¥22.5K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

47.68%

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

$23.62 ¥3,731

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-34.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.51 ¥6,875

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-18.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ¥8,211

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-27.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$9.70 ¥1,532

$7.89 ₡3,539

22.94%

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

$319 ¥50.3K

$494 ₡221.6K

-35.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,212 ¥981.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-47.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.66 ¥7,845

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-7.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.32 ¥4,000

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-54.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.94 ¥7,258

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-41.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.2 ¥10.5K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-16.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 ¥83.9K

$788 ₡353.4K

-32.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 ¥56.4K

$794 ₡356.2K

-55.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 ¥195.7K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-68.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 ¥104.7K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-53.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,681 ¥739.6K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-32.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,743 ¥275.4K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

42.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.28

8.62

-73.55%

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

Last update for Okazaki: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okazaki

$386 29.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.7% $34

Accommodation & Living

Okazaki

$357 27.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 122% $437

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okazaki

$209 16%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 11.3% $24

Eating Out

Okazaki

$127 9.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 67.3% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Okazaki

$84 6.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 42.7% $36

Getting Around

Okazaki

$78 6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 11.4% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Okazaki

$71 5.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 22.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $531 in Okazaki versus $788 in Nosara. 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 $31.00 in Okazaki versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $386 in Okazaki vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okazaki

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

01:46 1:46 AM

15 h behind Okazaki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

382,846

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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Okazaki Nosara 13,290 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Okazaki
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

Okazaki vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,313 in Okazaki, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,969 per month in Okazaki and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 33% less in Okazaki. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $319 per month in Okazaki and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Okazaki, where all-in costs run around $1,313, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Okazaki 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 $1,313 in Okazaki 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 Okazaki. 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.