Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Okinawa: $1,399 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,399

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,399 per month in Okinawa vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Okinawa $1,399
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,189 per month in Okinawa vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Okinawa $2,189
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,979 per month in Okinawa vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Okinawa $2,979
Nosara $3,712

Okinawa is about 24% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Okinawa and Nosara sit above the global median – Okinawa by 4%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 ¥1,602

$12.22 ₡5,509

-17.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.78 ¥6,288

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-33.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,112

$7.54 ₡3,399

-6.63%

Cappuccino

$4.26 ¥674

$4.31 ₡1,941

-1.16%

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

$1.47 ¥233

$1.72 ₡773

-14.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 ¥158

$1.35 ₡608

-25.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 ¥318

$3.24 ₡1,459

-37.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ¥719

$4.48 ₡2,018

1.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ¥258

$1.57 ₡707

4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 ¥340

$3.17 ₡1,429

-32.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 ¥606

$2.42 ₡1,091

58.68%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥277

$3.57 ₡1,609

-50.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.94 ¥2,835

$7.43 ₡3,349

141.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 ¥770

$10.42 ₡4,697

-53.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.16 ¥3,503

$13.66 ₡6,156

62.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥572

$2.32 ₡1,044

56.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 ¥416

$1.61 ₡728

63.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ¥338

$4.74 ₡2,138

-54.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥819

$1.66 ₡747

212.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 ¥380

$3.72 ₡1,679

-35.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥407

$3.57 ₡1,611

-27.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 ¥207

$1.10 ₡497

19.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$2.55 ₡1,149

-70.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$4.95 ₡2,232

-19.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 ¥1,015

$20.01 ₡9,020

-67.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ¥295

$2.79 ₡1,256

-32.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥504

$3.53 ₡1,589

-9.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$1.19 ₡537

23.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 ¥10.6K

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-6.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 ¥627

$2.24 ₡1,011

77.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.56 ¥563

$1.55 ₡701

129.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.44 ¥1,808

$8.86 ₡3,993

29.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$1.57 ₡708

-30.57%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-2.54%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-55.52%

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

$162 ¥25.6K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

73.29%

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

$24.91 ¥3,938

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-29.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 ¥8,503

$51.5 ₡23.2K

4.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.3 ¥11.3K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-0.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,679

$35.44 ₡16.0K

54.94%

Cinema Ticket

$12.17 ¥1,924

$7.84 ₡3,535

55.23%

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

$329 ¥52.0K

$490 ₡220.7K

-32.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,538 ¥875.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-53.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 ¥7,913

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-6.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.29 ¥3,681

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-58.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 ¥12.5K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-0.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 ¥14.9K

$78.9 ₡35.6K

19.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 ¥63.9K

$786 ₡354.3K

-48.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.9K

$780 ₡351.6K

-57.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 ¥130.5K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-78.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 ¥104.8K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-52.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,594 ¥1.4M

$6,972 ₡3.1M

23.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,206 ¥190.6K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

0.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,849 ¥292.3K

$876 ₡395.0K

111.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

8.62

-74.13%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$328 23.8%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 6.5% $21

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$328 23.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 138% $452

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 25.2% $61

Eating Out

Okinawa

$182 13.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 14.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$111 8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 8.4% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$96 6.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 9% $8.6

Getting Around

Okinawa

$95 6.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 8.4% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $404 in Okinawa versus $786 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 111% higher in Okinawa, 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 $40.00 in Okinawa versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $350 – making Okinawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

01:11 1:11 AM

15 h behind Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

4,912

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Okinawa Nosara 14,580 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Okinawa
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

Okinawa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,399 in Okinawa, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,098 per month in Okinawa and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 7% less in Okinawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $329 per month in Okinawa and $490 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 Okinawa, where all-in costs run around $1,399, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Okinawa 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 $1,399 in Okinawa to $1,837 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 Okinawa. 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.