Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $692 per month in Shantou vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Shantou $692
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,104 per month in Shantou vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Shantou $1,104
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,516 per month in Shantou vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Shantou $1,516
Nosara $3,818

Shantou is about 62% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Shantou sits 49% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ¥15.35

$12.35 ₡5,550

-81.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.70 ¥158

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-61.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.59

$7.52 ₡3,379

-31.25%

Cappuccino

$3.38 ¥22.63

$4.41 ₡1,982

-23.36%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$1.74 ₡781

-72.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$1.31 ₡588

-76.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.92

$3.28 ₡1,474

-73.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.28

$4.47 ₡2,008

-52.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$1.56 ₡702

2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥9.73

$3.02 ₡1,358

-51.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$2.51 ₡1,127

-69.32%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.33

$3.57 ₡1,606

-52.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 ¥91.1

$7.43 ₡3,340

83.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.91

$10.52 ₡4,727

-67.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 ¥88.0

$13.97 ₡6,277

-5.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$2.35 ₡1,054

-17.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.05

$1.61 ₡721

-6.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.14

$4.80 ₡2,156

-62.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$1.61 ₡725

-19.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$3.80 ₡1,706

-78.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.11

$3.69 ₡1,660

-71.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$1.13 ₡508

-47.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$2.66 ₡1,193

-83.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.71

$5.18 ₡2,326

-28.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 ¥80.2

$19.88 ₡8,934

-39.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.57

$2.90 ₡1,303

-71.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥11.98

$3.63 ₡1,629

-50.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$1.12 ₡505

-67.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.27 ¥162

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-66.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$2.14 ₡960

-28.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$1.57 ₡705

-75.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.31 ¥48.86

$8.52 ₡3,830

-14.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$1.52 ₡683

-19.08%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-8.40%

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

$18.0K ¥120.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-47.80%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$96.3 ₡43.3K

-41.16%

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

$8.89 ¥59.5

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-75.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.86 ¥92.7

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-74.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ¥50.5

$7.89 ₡3,546

-4.44%

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

$540 ¥3,614

$494 ₡222.0K

9.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥162.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

104.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 ¥372

$53.9 ₡24.2K

3.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ¥265

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-28.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥489

$77.9 ₡35.0K

-6.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 ¥611

$79.6 ₡35.8K

14.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,991

$788 ₡354.1K

-62.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 ¥1,011

$794 ₡356.9K

-80.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 ¥4,027

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-84.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,969

$1,419 ₡637.7K

-79.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,278 ¥15.2K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-67.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 ¥29.9K

$1,224 ₡550.0K

265.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,062 ¥7,099

$864 ₡388.0K

22.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

8.62

-61.14%

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

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shantou

$214 31%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 64.4% $138

Accommodation & Living

Shantou

$151 21.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 425% $643

Clothing & Footwear

Shantou

$117 16.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 2.7% $3.2

Eating Out

Shantou

$86 12.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 146% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shantou

$79 11.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 134% $106

Getting Around

Shantou

$29 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 199% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Shantou

$15 * 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 479% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $298 in Shantou 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 23% higher in Shantou, 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 $24.00 in Shantou versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $352 – making Shantou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shantou

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

04:18 4:18 AM

14 h behind Shantou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,389,328

4,912

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Shantou Nosara 15,580 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Shantou
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

Shantou vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $692 in Shantou, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 166% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,038 per month in Shantou 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 Shantou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 199% less in Shantou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $540 per month in Shantou and $494 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 Shantou, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Shantou 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 $692 in Shantou 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 Shantou. 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.