Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taoyuan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Taoyuan: $1,200 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Taoyuan
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Taoyuan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Taoyuan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,200

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,200 per month in Taoyuan vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Taoyuan $1,200
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,816 per month in Taoyuan vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Taoyuan $1,816
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,433 per month in Taoyuan vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Taoyuan $2,433
Nosara $3,818

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

Taoyuan sits 11% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.23 NT$137

$12.35 ₡5,539

-65.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.93 NT$808

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-59.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.74 NT$186

$7.52 ₡3,373

-23.67%

Cappuccino

$2.97 NT$96.2

$4.41 ₡1,978

-32.65%

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

$1.02 NT$33.18

$1.74 ₡780

-41.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 NT$22.97

$1.31 ₡587

-45.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 NT$59.8

$3.28 ₡1,471

-43.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 NT$74.6

$4.47 ₡2,004

-48.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.84 NT$92.2

$1.56 ₡701

82.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 NT$39.64

$3.02 ₡1,355

-59.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 NT$86.5

$2.51 ₡1,125

6.37%

Eggs

$2.17 NT$70.4

$3.57 ₡1,603

-39.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 NT$299

$7.43 ₡3,333

24.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.55 NT$245

$10.52 ₡4,717

-28.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.09 NT$684

$13.97 ₡6,265

50.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 NT$124

$2.35 ₡1,052

62.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 NT$66.8

$1.61 ₡720

27.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 NT$101

$4.80 ₡2,152

-35.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 NT$101

$1.61 ₡724

92.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 NT$80.2

$3.80 ₡1,703

-35.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 NT$65.9

$3.69 ₡1,657

-44.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NT$75.6

$1.13 ₡507

106.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 NT$28.53

$2.66 ₡1,191

-66.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 NT$163

$5.18 ₡2,321

-3.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 NT$353

$19.88 ₡8,916

-45.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 NT$46.45

$2.90 ₡1,300

-50.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 NT$69.9

$3.63 ₡1,626

-40.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 NT$17.81

$1.12 ₡504

-50.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 NT$1,234

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-47.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 NT$88.8

$2.14 ₡958

28.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 NT$24.51

$1.57 ₡703

-51.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 NT$227

$8.52 ₡3,823

-17.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.37

$1.52 ₡682

-34.21%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

51.94%

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

$23.3K NT$755.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-32.48%

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

$69.5 NT$2,252

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-27.86%

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

$17.72 NT$574

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-50.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.93 NT$711

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-59.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.59 NT$1,089

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-53.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.07 NT$229

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-79.75%

Cinema Ticket

$10.94 NT$355

$7.89 ₡3,539

38.66%

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

$517 NT$16.8K

$494 ₡221.6K

4.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K NT$1.0M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

163.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 NT$2,959

$53.9 ₡24.2K

69.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.83 NT$805

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-55.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 NT$2,655

$77.9 ₡34.9K

5.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 NT$3,119

$79.6 ₡35.7K

20.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 NT$20.9K

$788 ₡353.4K

-18.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 NT$14.1K

$794 ₡356.2K

-45.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$964 NT$31.2K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-75.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 NT$23.6K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-48.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,498 NT$243.2K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

8.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,782 NT$155.1K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

290.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,549 NT$50.2K

$864 ₡387.3K

79.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.38

8.62

-72.39%

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

Last update for Taoyuan: 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

Taoyuan

$436 36.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 82.1% $358

Groceries & Markets

Taoyuan

$313 26.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 12.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Taoyuan

$132 11%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taoyuan

$109 9.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 70.3% $77

Eating Out

Taoyuan

$107 9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 97.3% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Taoyuan

$55 4.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 57.5% $32

Getting Around

Taoyuan

$47 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 86.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $646 in Taoyuan 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 79% higher in Taoyuan, 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 Taoyuan versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $313 vs $352 – making Taoyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taoyuan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

20:07 8:07 PM

14 h behind Taoyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,147,763

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

Taoyuan Nosara 15,150 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Taoyuan
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

Taoyuan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,200 in Taoyuan, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,800 per month in Taoyuan 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 Taoyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 91% less in Taoyuan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $517 per month in Taoyuan 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 Taoyuan, where all-in costs run around $1,200, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Taoyuan 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 $1,200 in Taoyuan 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 Taoyuan. 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.