Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suginami-ku and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Suginami-ku: $1,256 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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Suginami-ku
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Suginami-ku Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Suginami-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,256

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Suginami-ku vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Suginami-ku $1,256
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,994 per month in Suginami-ku vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Suginami-ku $1,994
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,732 per month in Suginami-ku vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Suginami-ku $2,732
Nosara $3,818

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.34 ¥1,002

$12.35 ₡5,539

-48.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.62 ¥6,418

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-33.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥810

$7.52 ₡3,373

-31.91%

Cappuccino

$3.47 ¥548

$4.41 ₡1,978

-21.32%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$1.74 ₡780

-39.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥124

$1.31 ₡587

-40.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ¥404

$3.28 ₡1,471

-21.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥503

$4.47 ₡2,004

-28.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.56 ₡701

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥269

$3.02 ₡1,355

-43.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 ¥576

$2.51 ₡1,125

45.42%

Eggs

$1.97 ¥312

$3.57 ₡1,603

-44.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.52 ¥1,661

$7.43 ₡3,333

41.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 ¥946

$10.52 ₡4,717

-43.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 ¥2,241

$13.97 ₡6,265

1.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 ¥917

$2.35 ₡1,052

147.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 ¥434

$1.61 ₡720

70.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 ¥442

$4.80 ₡2,152

-41.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 ¥645

$1.61 ₡724

153.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 ¥418

$3.80 ₡1,703

-30.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 ¥416

$3.69 ₡1,657

-28.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ¥194

$1.13 ₡507

8.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$2.66 ₡1,191

-69.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 ¥604

$5.18 ₡2,321

-26.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.48 ¥1,024

$19.88 ₡8,916

-67.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥283

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥320

$3.63 ₡1,626

-44.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 ¥219

$1.12 ₡504

24.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.37 ¥7,326

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-36.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 ¥508

$2.14 ₡958

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.76 ¥435

$1.57 ₡703

75.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.79 ¥3,285

$8.52 ₡3,823

144.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.52 ₡682

-26.97%

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

$21.0K ¥3.3M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-2.87%

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

$18.1K ¥2.9M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-47.68%

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

$130 ¥20.6K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

35.47%

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

$23.89 ¥3,774

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-33.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.49 ¥4,974

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-41.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ¥9,175

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-18.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,030

$7.89 ₡3,539

62.86%

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

$631 ¥99.7K

$494 ₡221.6K

27.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

24.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.4 ¥9,697

$53.9 ₡24.2K

13.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.64 ¥5,789

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-33.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 ¥9,528

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-22.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

28.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ¥75.3K

$788 ₡353.4K

-39.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥59.6K

$794 ₡356.2K

-52.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 ¥154.7K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-75.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 ¥126.9K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-43.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,685 ¥740.1K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-32.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,700 ¥268.6K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

38.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,799 ¥442.2K

$864 ₡387.3K

224.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-76.80%

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

Last update for Suginami-ku: 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

Suginami-ku

$377 30%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 111% $417

Groceries & Markets

Suginami-ku

$289 23%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 22% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suginami-ku

$186 14.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 0% $0.1

Eating Out

Suginami-ku

$134 10.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 57.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Suginami-ku

$117 9.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 2.5% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Suginami-ku

$84 6.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 4.3% $3.6

Getting Around

Suginami-ku

$69 5.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 26.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $477 in Suginami-ku 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 224% higher in Suginami-ku, 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 $41.00 in Suginami-ku versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $289 vs $352 – making Suginami-ku the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Suginami-ku

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

18:13 6:13 PM

15 h behind Suginami-ku

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

540,180

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 19, 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 19, 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

Suginami-ku Nosara 13,060 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Suginami-ku
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

Suginami-ku vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,256 in Suginami-ku, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,884 per month in Suginami-ku 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 Suginami-ku, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 57% less in Suginami-ku. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $631 per month in Suginami-ku 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 Suginami-ku, where all-in costs run around $1,256, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Suginami-ku 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 $1,256 in Suginami-ku 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 Suginami-ku. 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.