Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ca Mau and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ca Mau: $762 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Ca Mau
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Ca Mau Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ca Mau

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$762

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $762 per month in Ca Mau vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Ca Mau $762
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,232 per month in Ca Mau vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Ca Mau $1,232
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,702 per month in Ca Mau vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Ca Mau $1,702
Nosara $3,818

Ca Mau is about 59% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ca Mau sits 44% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-83.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.06 ₫493.3K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-68.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.25 ₫110.1K

$7.52 ₡3,373

-43.48%

Cappuccino

$1.74 ₫45.0K

$4.41 ₡1,978

-60.54%

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

$0.54 ₫13.9K

$1.74 ₡780

-68.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,564

$1.31 ₡587

-74.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.85 ₫22.0K

$3.28 ₡1,471

-74.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 ₫36.6K

$4.47 ₡2,004

-68.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ₫38.4K

$1.56 ₡701

-4.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 ₫27.7K

$3.02 ₡1,355

-64.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$2.51 ₡1,125

-61.75%

Eggs

$1.51 ₫39.1K

$3.57 ₡1,603

-57.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.04 ₫285.9K

$7.43 ₡3,333

48.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.75 ₫97.2K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-64.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 ₫254.5K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-29.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$2.35 ₡1,052

28.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 ₫29.0K

$1.61 ₡720

-30.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ₫34.8K

$4.80 ₡2,152

-72.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 ₫31.3K

$1.61 ₡724

-24.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ₫28.0K

$3.80 ₡1,703

-71.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ₫28.4K

$3.69 ₡1,657

-70.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₫16.0K

$1.13 ₡507

-45.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₫13.8K

$2.66 ₡1,191

-80.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.43 ₫37.0K

$5.18 ₡2,321

-72.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.06 ₫312.1K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-39.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₫21.6K

$2.90 ₡1,300

-71.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₫42.6K

$3.63 ₡1,626

-54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ₫8,913

$1.12 ₡504

-69.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.44 ₫166.7K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-91.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$2.14 ₡958

-65.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₫14.7K

$1.57 ₡703

-63.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 ₫63.2K

$8.52 ₡3,823

-71.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₫23.2K

$1.52 ₡682

-40.79%

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

$31.0K ₫801.6M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

43.29%

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

$30.1K ₫779.8M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-12.74%

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

$76.0 ₫2.0M

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-21.07%

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

$5.77 ₫149.3K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-83.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.32 ₫215.3K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-84.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.23 ₫575.6K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-68.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.76 ₫200.8K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-77.77%

Cinema Ticket

$3.06 ₫79.1K

$7.89 ₡3,539

-61.22%

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

$160 ₫4.2M

$494 ₡221.6K

-67.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K ₫315.8M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

2.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.96 ₫1.2M

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-14.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.43 ₫684.2K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-52.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 ₫2.1M

$77.9 ₡34.9K

5.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 ₫2.0M

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-2.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 ₫10.5M

$788 ₡353.4K

-48.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 ₫7.0M

$794 ₡356.2K

-65.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 ₫19.2M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 ₫16.1M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-56.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,806 ₫72.6M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-59.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,282 ₫33.2M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

4.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.46

8.62

-1.86%

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

Last update for Ca Mau: 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

Ca Mau

$271 35.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 193% $523

Groceries & Markets

Ca Mau

$196 25.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 79.8% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Ca Mau

$105 13.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ca Mau

$90 11.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 106% $96

Eating Out

Ca Mau

$60 7.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 253% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Ca Mau

$28 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 208% $59

Getting Around

Ca Mau

$11 1.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 665% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Ca Mau 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 $19.00 in Ca Mau versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $352 – making Ca Mau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ca Mau

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:40 7:40 PM

06:40 6:40 AM

13 h behind Ca Mau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

226,372

4,912

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ca Mau Nosara 17,570 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Ca Mau
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

Ca Mau vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,142 per month in Ca Mau 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 Ca Mau, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 1028% less in Ca Mau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $160 per month in Ca Mau 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 Ca Mau, where all-in costs run around $762, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ca Mau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ca Mau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Ca Mau. 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.