Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saitama and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,003 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Saitama
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Saitama Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,003

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,003 per month in Saitama vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Saitama $1,003
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,327 per month in Saitama vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Saitama $1,327
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,650 per month in Saitama vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Saitama $1,650
Nosara $3,818

Saitama is about 45% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Saitama sits 26% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 ¥869

$12.35 ₡5,539

-55.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.36 ¥4,955

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-48.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 ¥758

$7.52 ₡3,373

-36.17%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ¥461

$4.41 ₡1,978

-33.79%

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

$0.70 ¥111

$1.74 ₡780

-59.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥92.0

$1.31 ₡587

-55.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$3.28 ₡1,471

-23.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ¥511

$4.47 ₡2,004

-27.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ¥220

$1.56 ₡701

-10.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥259

$3.02 ₡1,355

-45.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ¥436

$2.51 ₡1,125

9.96%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥315

$3.57 ₡1,603

-43.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,609

$7.43 ₡3,333

37.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 ¥859

$10.52 ₡4,717

-48.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 ¥2,243

$13.97 ₡6,265

1.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 ¥887

$2.35 ₡1,052

138.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 ¥342

$1.61 ₡720

34.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ¥459

$4.80 ₡2,152

-39.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 ¥678

$1.61 ₡724

166.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ¥395

$3.80 ₡1,703

-34.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 ¥255

$3.69 ₡1,657

-56.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.13 ₡507

15.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥114

$2.66 ₡1,191

-72.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥615

$5.18 ₡2,321

-24.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.45 ¥1,018

$19.88 ₡8,916

-67.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥284

$2.90 ₡1,300

-37.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ¥318

$3.63 ₡1,626

-44.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 ¥525

$1.12 ₡504

196.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.14 ₡958

51.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 ¥416

$1.57 ₡703

67.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.14 ¥3,181

$8.52 ₡3,823

136.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.52 ₡682

-27.63%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-0.78%

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

$14.2K ¥2.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-58.96%

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

$133 ¥21.0K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

37.81%

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

$18.15 ¥2,867

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-49.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.67 ¥5,162

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-39.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 ¥9,909

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-12.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 ¥1,752

$7.89 ₡3,539

40.56%

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

$634 ¥100.1K

$494 ₡221.6K

28.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

22.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.01 ¥5,531

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-35.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.25 ¥3,989

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-54.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 ¥8,686

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-29.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.6 ¥9,891

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-21.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 ¥65.3K

$788 ₡353.4K

-47.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 ¥36.8K

$794 ₡356.2K

-70.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,550 ¥244.9K

$864 ₡387.3K

79.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.06

8.62

-76.10%

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

Last update for Saitama: 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

Saitama

$274 27.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 28.4% $78

Accommodation & Living

Saitama

$233 23.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 241% $561

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saitama

$184 18.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 1.2% $2.2

Eating Out

Saitama

$118 11.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 80.2% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Saitama

$85 8.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 2.9% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Saitama

$80 8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 50.1% $40

Getting Around

Saitama

$30 * 3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 193% $57

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $413 in Saitama 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.

Salaries run about 79% higher in Saitama, 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 $31.00 in Saitama versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $352 – making Saitama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Saitama

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

12:04 12:04 PM

15 h behind Saitama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,182,115

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 17, 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 17, 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

Saitama Nosara 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Saitama
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

Saitama vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,003 in Saitama, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 83% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,504 per month in Saitama 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 Saitama, 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 $31.00 in Saitama and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saitama, where all-in costs run around $1,003, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Saitama 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 $1,003 in Saitama 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 Saitama. 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.