Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sagamihara and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sagamihara: $1,257 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sagamihara
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Sagamihara Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Sagamihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,257

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,257 per month in Sagamihara vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Sagamihara $1,257
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,021 per month in Sagamihara vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Sagamihara $2,021
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Sagamihara vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Sagamihara $2,785
Nosara $3,818

Sagamihara is about 32% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sagamihara sits 7% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.53 ¥1,348

$12.35 ₡5,539

-30.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.01 ¥5,057

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-47.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥775

$7.52 ₡3,373

-34.71%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ¥389

$4.41 ₡1,978

-44.22%

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

$1.23 ¥195

$1.74 ₡780

-29.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥135

$1.31 ₡587

-34.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.11 ¥492

$3.28 ₡1,471

-5.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ¥486

$4.47 ₡2,004

-31.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 ¥147

$1.56 ₡701

-40.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 ¥97.4

$3.02 ₡1,355

-79.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 ¥660

$2.51 ₡1,125

66.53%

Eggs

$1.83 ¥290

$3.57 ₡1,603

-48.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.74 ¥2,486

$7.43 ₡3,333

111.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.96 ¥1,099

$10.52 ₡4,717

-33.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.26 ¥2,727

$13.97 ₡6,265

23.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 ¥358

$2.35 ₡1,052

-3.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ¥252

$1.61 ₡720

-0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.02 ¥794

$4.80 ₡2,152

4.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.96 ¥1,257

$1.61 ₡724

394.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ¥616

$3.80 ₡1,703

2.63%

Onion (1kg)

$4.74 ¥749

$3.69 ₡1,657

28.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ¥178

$1.13 ₡507

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 ¥67.1

$2.66 ₡1,191

-84.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 ¥629

$5.18 ₡2,321

-23.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 ¥1,515

$19.88 ₡8,916

-51.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 ¥412

$2.90 ₡1,300

-10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥337

$3.63 ₡1,626

-41.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 ¥209

$1.12 ₡504

17.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.24 ¥7,463

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-34.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ¥488

$2.14 ₡958

44.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 ¥444

$1.57 ₡703

78.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.55 ¥2,457

$8.52 ₡3,823

82.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.52 ₡682

-30.26%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-0.97%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-56.32%

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

$117 ¥18.5K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

21.89%

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

$23.13 ¥3,654

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-35.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.04 ¥4,904

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-42.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ¥9,172

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-18.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ¥1,790

$7.89 ₡3,539

43.60%

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

$580 ¥91.6K

$494 ₡221.6K

17.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

22.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.53 ¥7,826

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-8.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.82 ¥5,659

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-35.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 ¥9,695

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-21.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 ¥15.4K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

22.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$468 ¥73.9K

$788 ₡353.4K

-40.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ¥57.1K

$794 ₡356.2K

-54.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,074 ¥169.7K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-72.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$845 ¥133.5K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-40.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,844 ¥765.3K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-29.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,779 ¥281.0K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

45.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Sagamihara: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sagamihara

$362 28.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 120% $433

Groceries & Markets

Sagamihara

$321 25.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 9.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sagamihara

$172 13.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 8.3% $14

Eating Out

Sagamihara

$143 11.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 48.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Sagamihara

$110 8.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Sagamihara

$81 6.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 8.2% $6.7

Getting Around

Sagamihara

$70 5.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 25% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $468 in Sagamihara 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 $32.00 in Sagamihara versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $321 vs $352 – making Sagamihara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Sagamihara

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:46 8:46 AM

17:46 5:46 PM

15 h behind Sagamihara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

725,493

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 18, 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 18, 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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Between locations

Sagamihara Nosara 13,090 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Sagamihara
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

Sagamihara vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,257 in Sagamihara, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,886 per month in Sagamihara 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 Sagamihara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Sagamihara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $580 per month in Sagamihara and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sagamihara, where all-in costs run around $1,257, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sagamihara 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 $1,257 in Sagamihara 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 Sagamihara. 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.