Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Takamatsu and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Takamatsu: $1,191 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Takamatsu
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Takamatsu Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Takamatsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,191

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,191 per month in Takamatsu vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Takamatsu $1,191
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,881 per month in Takamatsu vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Takamatsu $1,881
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,571 per month in Takamatsu vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Takamatsu $2,571
Nosara $3,814

Takamatsu is about 35% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Takamatsu sits 12% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.20 ¥980

$12.34 ₡5,535

-49.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.99 ¥5,054

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-47.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥809

$7.76 ₡3,481

-34.02%

Cappuccino

$3.13 ¥495

$4.44 ₡1,992

-29.50%

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

$1.19 ¥189

$1.79 ₡803

-33.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$1.29 ₡580

-37.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 ¥410

$3.24 ₡1,451

-19.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ¥508

$4.43 ₡1,985

-27.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ¥238

$1.55 ₡696

-3.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥252

$3.08 ₡1,380

-48.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ¥278

$2.53 ₡1,133

-30.43%

Eggs

$2.29 ¥361

$3.45 ₡1,546

-33.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.37 ¥1,639

$7.32 ₡3,284

41.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.60 ¥1,043

$10.24 ₡4,594

-35.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.83 ¥2,659

$14.10 ₡6,326

19.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 ¥583

$2.29 ₡1,027

61.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ¥360

$1.64 ₡737

39.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 ¥458

$4.79 ₡2,149

-39.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 ¥671

$1.64 ₡735

158.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 ¥391

$3.85 ₡1,727

-35.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 ¥389

$3.75 ₡1,681

-34.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ¥201

$1.09 ₡488

16.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$2.59 ₡1,160

-69.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.67 ¥580

$5.12 ₡2,295

-28.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.63 ¥1,048

$19.92 ₡8,931

-66.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥298

$2.80 ₡1,255

-32.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$3.52 ₡1,580

-40.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 ¥231

$1.22 ₡549

19.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ¥8,414

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-27.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 ¥503

$2.17 ₡973

46.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ¥442

$1.56 ₡698

78.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.60 ¥2,938

$8.67 ₡3,886

114.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.55 ₡697

-31.61%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-37.79%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-61.05%

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

$137 ¥21.6K

$94.8 ₡42.5K

44.22%

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

$23.78 ¥3,757

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-34.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.79 ¥4,865

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-41.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,161

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-29.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.11 ¥491

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-91.27%

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 ¥1,862

$7.91 ₡3,548

49.05%

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

$521 ¥82.3K

$490 ₡219.9K

6.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ¥2.0M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

6.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.96 ¥7,736

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-10.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.24 ¥4,936

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-44.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.1 ¥9,499

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-25.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 ¥14.3K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

16.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 ¥83.6K

$801 ₡359.1K

-33.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 ¥52.8K

$790 ₡354.1K

-57.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 ¥172.0K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-72.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 ¥116.1K

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-47.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,144 ¥654.7K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-41.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,783 ¥281.6K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

44.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,761 ¥278.1K

$887 ₡397.6K

98.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

8.62

-74.36%

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

Last update for Takamatsu: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Takamatsu

$334 28.1%

Nosara

$790 43% 136% $455

Groceries & Markets

Takamatsu

$280 23.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 24.7% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Takamatsu

$191 16.1%

Nosara

$184 10% 3.8% $7.3

Eating Out

Takamatsu

$130 10.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 63.7% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Takamatsu

$104 8.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 16.5% $17

Getting Around

Takamatsu

$76 6.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 16.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Takamatsu

$75 6.3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 19.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $529 in Takamatsu 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.

Salaries run about 99% higher in Takamatsu, 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 $32.00 in Takamatsu versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $280 vs $350 – making Takamatsu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Takamatsu

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

17:02 5:02 PM

15 h behind Takamatsu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

426,514

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 20, 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 20, 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

Takamatsu Nosara 13,550 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Takamatsu
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

Takamatsu vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,191 in Takamatsu, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,787 per month in Takamatsu 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 Takamatsu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Takamatsu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $521 per month in Takamatsu and $490 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 Takamatsu, where all-in costs run around $1,191, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Takamatsu 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 $1,191 in Takamatsu 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 Takamatsu. 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.