Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shiso and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiso: $1,048 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Shiso
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Shiso Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Shiso

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,048

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,048 per month in Shiso vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Shiso $1,048
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Shiso vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Shiso $1,913
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,777 per month in Shiso vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Shiso $2,777
Nosara $3,814

Shiso is about 43% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Shiso sits 23% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.87 ¥1,244

$12.34 ₡5,535

-36.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 ¥10.7K

$61.3 ₡27.5K

10.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.29 ¥993

$7.76 ₡3,481

-18.94%

Cappuccino

$3.69 ¥584

$4.44 ₡1,992

-16.89%

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

$0.83 ¥132

$1.79 ₡803

-53.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥114

$1.29 ₡580

-44.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 ¥407

$3.24 ₡1,451

-20.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 ¥497

$4.43 ₡1,985

-28.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.55 ₡696

-1.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 ¥474

$3.08 ₡1,380

-2.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.87 ¥769

$2.53 ₡1,133

92.49%

Eggs

$2.19 ¥346

$3.45 ₡1,546

-36.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ¥1,609

$7.32 ₡3,284

39.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 ¥1,023

$10.24 ₡4,594

-36.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.01 ¥4,267

$14.10 ₡6,326

91.56%

Apples (1kg)

$5.33 ¥842

$2.29 ₡1,027

132.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 ¥409

$1.64 ₡737

57.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 ¥641

$4.79 ₡2,149

-15.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.97 ¥943

$1.64 ₡735

264.02%

Potato (1kg)

$4.29 ¥678

$3.85 ₡1,727

11.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 ¥411

$3.75 ₡1,681

-30.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ¥218

$1.09 ₡488

26.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥130

$2.59 ₡1,160

-67.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.11 ¥650

$5.12 ₡2,295

-19.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.66 ¥1,211

$19.92 ₡8,931

-61.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$2.80 ₡1,255

-31.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ¥351

$3.52 ₡1,580

-36.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 ¥216

$1.22 ₡549

11.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.90 ¥5,356

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-54.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 ¥564

$2.17 ₡973

64.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.88 ¥455

$1.56 ₡698

84.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.87 ¥3,297

$8.67 ₡3,886

140.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥202

$1.55 ₡697

-17.42%

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

$22.9K ¥3.6M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-33.73%

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

$17.0K ¥2.7M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-56.18%

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

$144 ¥22.8K

$94.8 ₡42.5K

52.27%

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

$23.93 ¥3,781

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-33.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.58 ¥2,146

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-74.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.74 ¥5,805

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-50.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.71 ¥2,167

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-61.52%

Cinema Ticket

$4.59 ¥726

$7.91 ₡3,548

-41.97%

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

$283 ¥44.8K

$490 ₡219.9K

-42.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K ¥2.1M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

14.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.06 ¥1,589

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-81.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.87 ¥4,720

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-46.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$33.76 ¥5,334

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-57.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.7 ¥15.7K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

27.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 ¥74.3K

$801 ₡359.1K

-41.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 ¥26.0K

$790 ₡354.1K

-79.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$862 ¥136.1K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-78.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ¥104.2K

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-53.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,229 ¥668.1K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-40.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,769 ¥279.5K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

43.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.78

8.62

-79.35%

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

Last update for Shiso: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shiso

$368 35.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 5.1% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shiso

$182 17.4%

Nosara

$184 10% 1.2% $2.1

Accommodation & Living

Shiso

$165 15.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 379% $625

Eating Out

Shiso

$152 14.5%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 40.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Shiso

$78 7.4%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 55.1% $43

Getting Around

Shiso

$57 5.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 54.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Shiso

$46 4.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 95.1% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $470 in Shiso versus $801 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 $68.0 in Shiso versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $368 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Shiso

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

21:30 9:30 PM

15 h behind Shiso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,610

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 21, 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 21, 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

Shiso Nosara 13,470 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Shiso
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

Shiso vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,048 in Shiso, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 75% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,572 per month in Shiso and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 118% less in Shiso. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $283 per month in Shiso 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 Shiso, where all-in costs run around $1,048, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Shiso 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 $1,048 in Shiso to $1,835 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 Shiso. 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.