Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhubei City and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhubei City: $1,055 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
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Zhubei City Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,055

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,055 per month in Zhubei City vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Zhubei City $1,055
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Zhubei City vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Zhubei City $1,841
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,627 per month in Zhubei City vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Zhubei City $2,627
Nosara $3,818

Zhubei City is about 43% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zhubei City sits 22% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 NT$157

$12.35 ₡5,539

-60.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.00 NT$908

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-54.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 NT$164

$7.52 ₡3,373

-32.58%

Cappuccino

$2.89 NT$93.8

$4.41 ₡1,978

-34.47%

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

$0.91 NT$29.41

$1.74 ₡780

-47.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 NT$19.02

$1.31 ₡587

-54.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 NT$62.5

$3.28 ₡1,471

-41.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 NT$75.6

$4.47 ₡2,004

-47.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$1.56 ₡701

78.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 NT$60.7

$3.02 ₡1,355

-38.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.59 NT$149

$2.51 ₡1,125

82.87%

Eggs

$2.85 NT$92.5

$3.57 ₡1,603

-20.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.76 NT$803

$7.43 ₡3,333

233.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 NT$271

$10.52 ₡4,717

-20.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.93 NT$841

$13.97 ₡6,265

85.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 NT$131

$2.35 ₡1,052

71.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 NT$78.5

$1.61 ₡720

50.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 NT$87.3

$4.80 ₡2,152

-43.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 NT$106

$1.61 ₡724

103.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.02 NT$97.9

$3.80 ₡1,703

-20.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 NT$65.5

$3.69 ₡1,657

-45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 NT$66.9

$1.13 ₡507

82.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 NT$43.25

$2.66 ₡1,191

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 NT$126

$5.18 ₡2,321

-25.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.23 NT$299

$19.88 ₡8,916

-53.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 NT$46.36

$2.90 ₡1,300

-50.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 NT$75.4

$3.63 ₡1,626

-35.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.85

$1.12 ₡504

-45.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 NT$101

$2.14 ₡958

44.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 NT$20.76

$1.57 ₡703

-59.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.25 NT$300

$8.52 ₡3,823

8.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 NT$32.17

$1.52 ₡682

-34.87%

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

$33.5K NT$1.1M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

54.88%

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

$24.8K NT$805.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-28.02%

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

$103 NT$3,331

$96.3 ₡43.2K

6.67%

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

$18.96 NT$615

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-47.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.80 NT$739

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-57.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.40 NT$1,018

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-56.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 NT$324

$7.89 ₡3,539

26.62%

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

$646 NT$20.9K

$494 ₡221.6K

30.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K NT$533.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

38.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 NT$1,870

$53.9 ₡24.2K

6.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.13 NT$1,010

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-43.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 NT$2,946

$77.9 ₡34.9K

16.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.0 NT$3,209

$79.6 ₡35.7K

24.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$501 NT$16.2K

$788 ₡353.4K

-36.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 NT$7,032

$794 ₡356.2K

-72.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 NT$35.7K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-72.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 NT$24.9K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-45.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K NT$525.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

134.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,751 NT$316.2K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

696.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,391 NT$77.5K

$864 ₡387.3K

176.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

8.62

-72.16%

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

Last update for Zhubei City: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhubei City

$400 37.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 11.9% $47

Accommodation & Living

Zhubei City

$217 20.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 266% $577

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhubei City

$144 13.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 28.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Zhubei City

$125 11.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 4.2% $5.3

Eating Out

Zhubei City

$109 10.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 94.7% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Zhubei City

$51 4.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 70.1% $36

Getting Around

Zhubei City

$8.8 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 896% $78

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $501 in Zhubei City 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 177% higher in Zhubei City, 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 $28.00 in Zhubei City versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $400 in Zhubei City vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

16:34 4:34 PM

14 h behind Zhubei City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

211,746

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 18, 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 18, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Zhubei City Nosara 15,180 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhubei City
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

Zhubei City vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,055 in Zhubei City, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 74% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,583 per month in Zhubei City 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 Zhubei City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Zhubei City and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhubei City, where all-in costs run around $1,055, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Zhubei City 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 $1,055 in Zhubei City 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 Zhubei City. 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.