Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Tokyo: $1,635 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
Learn more

Tokyo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,635

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,635 per month in Tokyo vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Tokyo $1,635
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,608 per month in Tokyo vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Tokyo $2,608
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,581 per month in Tokyo vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Tokyo $3,581
Nosara $3,712

Tokyo is about 11% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tokyo and Nosara sit above the global median – Tokyo by 22%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.64 ¥1,207

$12.22 ₡5,509

-37.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.51 ¥6,087

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-36.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.05 ¥799

$7.54 ₡3,399

-33.02%

Cappuccino

$3.61 ¥570

$4.31 ₡1,941

-16.24%

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

$1.62 ¥257

$1.72 ₡773

-5.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥135

$1.35 ₡608

-36.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥583

$3.24 ₡1,459

13.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥834

$4.48 ₡2,018

17.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ¥242

$1.57 ₡707

-2.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥278

$3.17 ₡1,429

-44.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 ¥883

$2.42 ₡1,091

130.99%

Eggs

$2.24 ¥354

$3.57 ₡1,609

-37.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ¥1,684

$7.43 ₡3,349

43.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.60 ¥1,043

$10.42 ₡4,697

-36.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.74 ¥2,646

$13.66 ₡6,156

22.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 ¥768

$2.32 ₡1,044

109.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 ¥371

$1.61 ₡728

45.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 ¥684

$4.74 ₡2,138

-8.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 ¥835

$1.66 ₡747

218.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 ¥539

$3.72 ₡1,679

-8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 ¥504

$3.57 ₡1,611

-10.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥187

$1.10 ₡497

7.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥131

$2.55 ₡1,149

-67.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥607

$4.95 ₡2,232

-22.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.27 ¥1,466

$20.01 ₡9,020

-53.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥259

$2.79 ₡1,256

-41.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥434

$3.53 ₡1,589

-22.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ¥204

$1.19 ₡537

8.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 ¥9,819

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-13.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥487

$2.24 ₡1,011

37.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$1.55 ₡701

107.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.41 ¥2,909

$8.86 ₡3,993

107.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.57 ₡708

-31.85%

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

$22.2K ¥3.5M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

1.68%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-55.86%

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

$148 ¥23.3K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

57.95%

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

$21.97 ¥3,472

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-37.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.43 ¥4,810

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-40.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-8.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.55 ¥4,039

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-27.91%

Cinema Ticket

$12.87 ¥2,034

$7.84 ₡3,535

64.16%

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

$1,360 ¥215.0K

$490 ₡220.7K

177.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ¥2.9M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

53.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 ¥8,932

$53.5 ₡24.1K

5.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.16 ¥5,241

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-40.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥10.2K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-18.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 ¥11.3K

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-8.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ¥201.5K

$786 ₡354.3K

62.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 ¥111.0K

$780 ₡351.6K

-9.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 ¥405.5K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-33.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 ¥234.0K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

5.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,152 ¥1.4M

$6,972 ₡3.1M

31.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,191 ¥662.4K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

249.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥473.8K

$876 ₡395.0K

242.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

8.62

-73.90%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$702 42.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 11% $78

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$325 19.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 7.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$200 12%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 10% $20

Eating Out

Tokyo

$158 9.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 32.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$102 6.1%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 18.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$91 5.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 4.1% $3.7

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 0.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,275 in Tokyo versus $786 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 242% higher in Tokyo, 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 $39.00 in Tokyo versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $350 – making Tokyo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:20 3:20 PM

00:20 12:20 AM

15 h behind Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tokyo Nosara 13,060 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Tokyo
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

Tokyo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,635 in Tokyo, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,453 per month in Tokyo and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 16% less in Tokyo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,360 per month in Tokyo and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Tokyo, where all-in costs run around $1,635, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Tokyo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tokyo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,635 in Tokyo to $1,837 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 Tokyo. 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.