Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yangshuo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Yangshuo: $713 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Yangshuo
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Yangshuo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Yangshuo

🇨🇳 China

$713

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $713 per month in Yangshuo vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Yangshuo $713
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,130 per month in Yangshuo vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Yangshuo $1,130
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,548 per month in Yangshuo vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Yangshuo $1,548
Nosara $3,818

Yangshuo is about 61% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Yangshuo sits 47% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 ¥18.73

$12.35 ₡5,539

-77.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.83 ¥146

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-64.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥32.80

$7.52 ₡3,373

-34.71%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ¥20.45

$4.41 ₡1,978

-30.61%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$1.74 ₡780

-72.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$1.31 ₡587

-77.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$3.28 ₡1,471

-72.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ¥13.62

$4.47 ₡2,004

-54.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ¥12.14

$1.56 ₡701

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥10.68

$3.02 ₡1,355

-47.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.33

$2.51 ₡1,125

-62.15%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.29

$3.57 ₡1,603

-56.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 ¥84.7

$7.43 ₡3,333

70.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.14 ¥20.99

$10.52 ₡4,717

-70.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.02 ¥67.0

$13.97 ₡6,265

-28.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.49

$2.35 ₡1,052

-20.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.02

$1.61 ₡720

-25.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$4.80 ₡2,152

-69.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.70

$1.61 ₡724

-28.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.67

$3.80 ₡1,703

-81.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.10

$3.69 ₡1,657

-75.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥4.03

$1.13 ₡507

-46.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.41

$2.66 ₡1,191

-80.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ¥20.34

$5.18 ₡2,321

-41.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.74 ¥71.8

$19.88 ₡8,916

-45.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.38

$2.90 ₡1,300

-72.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.01

$3.63 ₡1,626

-54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$1.12 ₡504

-74.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.88 ¥113

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-76.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ¥9.05

$2.14 ₡958

-36.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$1.57 ₡703

-78.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ¥44.22

$8.52 ₡3,823

-22.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥7.91

$1.52 ₡682

-22.37%

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

$19.3K ¥129.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-10.63%

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

$17.4K ¥116.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-49.67%

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

$45.58 ¥305

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-52.66%

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

$9.73 ¥65.0

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-72.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.52 ¥77.0

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-78.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.10 ¥275

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-42.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.85 ¥92.6

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-60.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.87 ¥39.27

$7.89 ₡3,539

-25.60%

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

$339 ¥2,270

$494 ₡221.6K

-31.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ¥113.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

43.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.49 ¥297

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-17.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥207

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-44.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ¥485

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-6.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ¥475

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-10.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 ¥1,870

$788 ₡353.4K

-64.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ¥1,274

$794 ₡356.2K

-76.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 ¥3,881

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-85.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 ¥2,394

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-74.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,087 ¥20.6K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-55.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,990 ¥13.3K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

62.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

8.62

-54.87%

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

Last update for Yangshuo: 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

Yangshuo

$197 27.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 78.6% $155

Accommodation & Living

Yangshuo

$191 26.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 317% $604

Clothing & Footwear

Yangshuo

$99 13.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.9% $22

Eating Out

Yangshuo

$85 12%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 148% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yangshuo

$67 9.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 178% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Yangshuo

$53 7.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 65.3% $35

Getting Around

Yangshuo

$21 3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 314% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $280 in Yangshuo 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 $22.00 in Yangshuo versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $352 – making Yangshuo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Yangshuo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:22 2:22 PM

00:22 12:22 AM

14 h behind Yangshuo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yangshuo Nosara 15,770 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Yangshuo
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

Yangshuo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $713 in Yangshuo, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 158% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,069 per month in Yangshuo 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 Yangshuo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 330% less in Yangshuo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $339 per month in Yangshuo 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 Yangshuo, where all-in costs run around $713, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Yangshuo 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 $713 in Yangshuo 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 Yangshuo. 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.