Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ube and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ube: $1,237 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Ube
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Ube Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ube

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,237

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,237 per month in Ube vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Ube $1,237
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,931 per month in Ube vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Ube $1,931
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,625 per month in Ube vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Ube $2,625
Nosara $3,818

Ube is about 33% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ube sits 8% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.94 ¥1,097

$12.35 ₡5,539

-43.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.14 ¥5,394

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-44.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.52 ¥873

$7.52 ₡3,373

-26.60%

Cappuccino

$3.19 ¥504

$4.41 ₡1,978

-27.66%

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

$1.08 ¥171

$1.74 ₡780

-37.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥121

$1.31 ₡587

-41.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 ¥321

$3.28 ₡1,471

-38.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ¥487

$4.47 ₡2,004

-31.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.56 ₡701

-3.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥252

$3.02 ₡1,355

-47.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 ¥747

$2.51 ₡1,125

88.45%

Eggs

$2.28 ¥361

$3.57 ₡1,603

-36.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.00 ¥1,581

$7.43 ₡3,333

34.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.43 ¥1,016

$10.52 ₡4,717

-38.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.58 ¥2,462

$13.97 ₡6,265

11.52%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 ¥854

$2.35 ₡1,052

130.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 ¥415

$1.61 ₡720

63.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.07 ¥643

$4.80 ₡2,152

-15.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 ¥725

$1.61 ₡724

185.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 ¥500

$3.80 ₡1,703

-16.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 ¥422

$3.69 ₡1,657

-27.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ¥218

$1.13 ₡507

22.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥138

$2.66 ₡1,191

-67.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ¥664

$5.18 ₡2,321

-18.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.56 ¥1,036

$19.88 ₡8,916

-67.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 ¥316

$2.90 ₡1,300

-31.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ¥374

$3.63 ₡1,626

-34.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 ¥263

$1.12 ₡504

48.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.6 ¥8,781

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-23.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ¥556

$2.14 ₡958

64.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.00 ¥474

$1.57 ₡703

91.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.87 ¥3,297

$8.52 ₡3,823

144.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥187

$1.52 ₡682

-22.37%

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

$22.8K ¥3.6M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

5.61%

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

$17.1K ¥2.7M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-50.42%

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

$142 ¥22.5K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

47.71%

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

$27.17 ¥4,293

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-24.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.35 ¥5,268

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-37.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 ¥9,103

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-19.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.79 ¥2,179

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-60.50%

Cinema Ticket

$13.14 ¥2,076

$7.89 ₡3,539

66.54%

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

$280 ¥44.2K

$494 ₡221.6K

-43.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K ¥2.1M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

12.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.41 ¥6,859

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-19.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.01 ¥4,741

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-45.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.1 ¥9,343

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-24.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.3 ¥14.6K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

15.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 ¥74.7K

$788 ₡353.4K

-40.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ¥51.4K

$794 ₡356.2K

-59.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥137.3K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-77.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$660 ¥104.3K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-53.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,817 ¥445.1K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-59.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,733 ¥273.7K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

41.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.81

8.62

-79.00%

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

Last update for Ube: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ube

$326 26.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 144% $469

Groceries & Markets

Ube

$309 25%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 14.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ube

$203 16.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 8.4% $17

Eating Out

Ube

$134 10.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 58% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Ube

$101 8.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 18.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ube

$84 6.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 4.1% $3.5

Getting Around

Ube

$81 6.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 7.8% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $473 in Ube 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Ube versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $309 vs $352 – making Ube the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ube

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

08:24 8:24 AM

15 h behind Ube

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

162,570

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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Between locations

Ube Nosara 13,770 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ube
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

Ube vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,237 in Ube, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,856 per month in Ube 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 Ube, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Ube. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $280 per month in Ube and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ube, where all-in costs run around $1,237, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ube 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 $1,237 in Ube 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 Ube. 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.