Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tainan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Tainan: $1,068 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Tainan
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Tainan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Tainan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,068

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,068 per month in Tainan vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Tainan $1,068
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,837 per month in Tainan vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Tainan $1,837
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,606 per month in Tainan vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Tainan $2,606
Nosara $3,818

Tainan is about 42% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tainan sits 21% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 NT$121

$12.35 ₡5,539

-69.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.62 NT$799

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-59.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 NT$155

$7.52 ₡3,373

-36.30%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NT$106

$4.41 ₡1,978

-25.85%

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

$0.95 NT$30.66

$1.74 ₡780

-45.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 NT$20.54

$1.31 ₡587

-51.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.6

$3.28 ₡1,471

-12.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 NT$113

$4.47 ₡2,004

-21.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$100

$1.56 ₡701

98.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 NT$57.5

$3.02 ₡1,355

-41.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 NT$102

$2.51 ₡1,125

25.50%

Eggs

$2.75 NT$89.3

$3.57 ₡1,603

-22.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.50 NT$632

$7.43 ₡3,333

162.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 NT$320

$10.52 ₡4,717

-6.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.04 NT$682

$13.97 ₡6,265

50.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 NT$161

$2.35 ₡1,052

111.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$1.61 ₡720

77.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$97.4

$4.80 ₡2,152

-37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 NT$145

$1.61 ₡724

178.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 NT$86.4

$3.80 ₡1,703

-30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 NT$73.6

$3.69 ₡1,657

-38.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NT$55.3

$1.13 ₡507

51.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NT$37.31

$2.66 ₡1,191

-56.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 NT$124

$5.18 ₡2,321

-26.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.94 NT$452

$19.88 ₡8,916

-29.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$53.4

$2.90 ₡1,300

-43.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 NT$70.3

$3.63 ₡1,626

-40.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.68

$1.12 ₡504

-45.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.89 NT$1,099

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-53.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 NT$82.2

$2.14 ₡958

18.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 NT$24.92

$1.57 ₡703

-50.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 NT$186

$8.52 ₡3,823

-32.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 NT$32.90

$1.52 ₡682

-33.55%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

51.80%

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

$24.1K NT$780.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-30.27%

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

$87.2 NT$2,828

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-9.43%

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

$17.51 NT$568

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-51.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.30 NT$691

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-60.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.65 NT$1,480

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-36.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 NT$311

$7.89 ₡3,539

21.67%

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

$433 NT$14.1K

$494 ₡221.6K

-12.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,413 NT$175.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-54.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 NT$2,050

$53.9 ₡24.2K

17.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.20 NT$1,271

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-29.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 NT$2,716

$77.9 ₡34.9K

7.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NT$3,353

$79.6 ₡35.7K

29.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 NT$9,624

$788 ₡353.4K

-62.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 NT$6,470

$794 ₡356.2K

-74.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 NT$27.4K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-78.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 NT$22.6K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-50.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,123 NT$133.7K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-40.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,022 NT$98.0K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

146.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,376 NT$44.6K

$864 ₡387.3K

59.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

8.62

-72.16%

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

Last update for Tainan: 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

Tainan

$393 36.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 10.4% $41

Accommodation & Living

Tainan

$200 18.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 298% $595

Clothing & Footwear

Tainan

$130 12.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 7.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tainan

$126 11.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 47.4% $60

Eating Out

Tainan

$111 10.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 90.7% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Tainan

$65 6.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 34.7% $23

Getting Around

Tainan

$43 4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 104% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $297 in Tainan 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 59% higher in Tainan, 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 $25.00 in Tainan versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $393 in Tainan vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Tainan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

18:48 6:48 PM

14 h behind Tainan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,886,033

4,912

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 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 TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tainan Nosara 15,390 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Tainan
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

Tainan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,068 in Tainan, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 72% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,602 per month in Tainan 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 Tainan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 114% less in Tainan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $433 per month in Tainan 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 Tainan, where all-in costs run around $1,068, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Tainan 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 $1,068 in Tainan 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 Tainan. 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.