Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cam Pha and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cam Pha: $789 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cam Pha
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$789
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $789 in Cam Pha versus $1,837 in Nosara.

  • Cam Pha $789
  • Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,276 in Cam Pha versus $2,775 in Nosara.

  • Cam Pha $1,276
  • Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,762 in Cam Pha versus $3,712 in Nosara.

  • Cam Pha $1,762
  • Nosara $3,712

Living in Cam Pha costs roughly 57% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cam Pha is 41% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cam Pha
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.16 ₫56.1K
$12.22 ₡5,498
-82.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.75 ₫590.1K
$60.2 ₡27.1K
-62.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.19 ₫108.7K
$7.54 ₡3,391
-44.43%
Cappuccino
$1.85 ₫47.9K
$4.31 ₡1,937
-57.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ₫12.1K
$1.72 ₡772
-72.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ₫7,693
$1.35 ₡606
-77.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.07 ₫27.7K
$3.24 ₡1,456
-66.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 ₫49.5K
$4.48 ₡2,014
-57.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cam Pha
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.52 ₫39.5K
$1.57 ₡705
-3.18%
White Bread (500g)
$1.10 ₫28.7K
$3.17 ₡1,426
-65.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.80 ₫20.7K
$2.42 ₡1,089
-66.94%
Eggs
$1.50 ₫38.8K
$3.57 ₡1,605
-57.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.25 ₫265.9K
$7.43 ₡3,342
37.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.62 ₫94.0K
$10.42 ₡4,687
-65.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.68 ₫251.1K
$13.66 ₡6,143
-29.14%
Apples (1kg)
$3.34 ₫86.5K
$2.32 ₡1,042
43.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.05 ₫27.2K
$1.61 ₡726
-34.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.32 ₫34.2K
$4.74 ₡2,133
-72.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.10 ₫28.4K
$1.66 ₡746
-33.73%
Potato (1kg)
$0.91 ₫23.5K
$3.72 ₡1,675
-75.54%
Onion (1kg)
$1.08 ₫28.0K
$3.57 ₡1,608
-69.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.55 ₫14.2K
$1.10 ₡496
-50.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ₫13.2K
$2.55 ₡1,147
-80.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.42 ₫36.9K
$4.95 ₡2,227
-71.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.52 ₫324.6K
$20.01 ₡9,001
-37.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 ₫24.2K
$2.79 ₡1,253
-66.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 ₫42.8K
$3.53 ₡1,586
-53.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Cam Pha
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 ₫8,070
$1.19 ₡536
-73.95%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.38 ₫191.5K
$72.1 ₡32.4K
-89.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.78 ₫20.3K
$2.24 ₡1,009
-65.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.60 ₫15.5K
$1.55 ₡699
-61.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.32 ₫60.2K
$8.86 ₡3,985
-73.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.91 ₫23.5K
$1.57 ₡706
-42.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.3K ₫811.6M
$21.8K ₡9.8M
43.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.9K ₫774.5M
$34.6K ₡15.6M
-13.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cam Pha
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$87.1 ₫2.3M
$93.5 ₡42.0K
-6.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.33 ₫138.1K
$35.11 ₡15.8K
-84.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.59 ₫222.8K
$51.5 ₡23.2K
-83.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cam Pha
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.48 ₫582.9K
$71.4 ₡32.1K
-68.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.68 ₫199.3K
$35.44 ₡15.9K
-78.33%
Cinema Ticket
$4.33 ₫112.4K
$7.84 ₡3,528
-44.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cam Pha
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$162 ₫4.2M
$490 ₡220.2K
-66.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.0K ₫726.9M
$11.9K ₡5.3M
135.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cam Pha
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.08 ₫1.2M
$53.5 ₡24.1K
-10.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.38 ₫684.3K
$55.8 ₡25.1K
-52.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.8 ₫2.1M
$79.3 ₡35.7K
4.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.0 ₫2.0M
$78.9 ₡35.5K
0.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cam Pha
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$372 ₫9.6M
$786 ₡353.6K
-52.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$236 ₫6.1M
$780 ₡350.8K
-69.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$728 ₫18.9M
$3,860 ₡1.7M
-81.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$681 ₫17.7M
$1,407 ₡633.0K
-51.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,442 ₫63.3M
$6,972 ₡3.1M
-64.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,133 ₫29.4M
$1,201 ₡540.2K
-5.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cam Pha
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$876 ₡394.2K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.28
8.62
-3.94%

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

Last update for Cam Pha: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cam Pha
$236
Nosara
$780 230% $543
Groceries & Markets
Cam Pha
$193
Nosara
$350 80.8% $156
Clothing & Footwear
Cam Pha
$106
Nosara
$120 13.2% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cam Pha
$101
Nosara
$180 78.2% $79
Eating Out
Cam Pha
$64
Nosara
$209 226% $145
Sport & Entertainment
Cam Pha
$31
Nosara
$87 180% $56
Getting Around
Cam Pha
$12
Nosara
$87 600% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $372 in Cam Pha and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cam Pha vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $350 per month, with Cam Pha cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇻🇳 Cam Pha
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
08:38 8:38 AM
19:38 7:38 PM
13 h behind Cam Pha
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
182,137
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 25,934 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,064 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cam Pha Nosara 16,290 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cam Pha
  • 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
Cam Pha vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cam Pha or Nosara?
Cam Pha wins on cost – living expenses run 133% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cam Pha the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cam Pha and in Nosara?
You'd need roughly $1,184 in Cam Pha and $2,756 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Cam Pha compared to Nosara?
Rent for a central apartment: $372 in Cam Pha versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Cam Pha compared to Nosara?
A monthly transit pass in Cam Pha runs roughly 877% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Cam Pha and in Nosara?
Childcare runs $162 in Cam Pha versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Cam Pha or in Nosara?
At $789 in Cam Pha versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cam Pha but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cam Pha the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Cam Pha or Nosara?
Both work as nomad bases, but Cam Pha delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $789 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cam Pha hard to pass up.
How safe is Cam Pha compared to Nosara?
Safety-wise, Cam Pha and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Cam Pha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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