Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dong Xoai and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Dong Xoai: $770 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Dong Xoai
Learn more

Dong Xoai Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Dong Xoai

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$770

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $770 per month in Dong Xoai vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Dong Xoai $770
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,234 per month in Dong Xoai vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Dong Xoai $1,234
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,697 per month in Dong Xoai vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Dong Xoai $1,697
Nosara $3,818

Dong Xoai is about 58% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Dong Xoai sits 43% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 ₫51.9K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-83.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.30 ₫499.6K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-68.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.39 ₫113.6K

$7.52 ₡3,373

-41.62%

Cappuccino

$1.65 ₫42.6K

$4.41 ₡1,978

-62.59%

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

$0.55 ₫14.1K

$1.74 ₡780

-68.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₫7,988

$1.31 ₡587

-76.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.82 ₫21.3K

$3.28 ₡1,471

-75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 ₫36.7K

$4.47 ₡2,004

-68.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ₫38.6K

$1.56 ₡701

-4.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 ₫27.3K

$3.02 ₡1,355

-64.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ₫24.0K

$2.51 ₡1,125

-62.95%

Eggs

$1.53 ₫39.5K

$3.57 ₡1,603

-57.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.35 ₫293.7K

$7.43 ₡3,333

52.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.80 ₫98.3K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-63.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.82 ₫254.1K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-29.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 ₫75.7K

$2.35 ₡1,052

24.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 ₫28.1K

$1.61 ₡720

-32.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.9K

$4.80 ₡2,152

-72.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₫32.8K

$1.61 ₡724

-21.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.6K

$3.80 ₡1,703

-72.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ₫29.9K

$3.69 ₡1,657

-68.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ₫15.5K

$1.13 ₡507

-46.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₫13.2K

$2.66 ₡1,191

-80.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.44 ₫37.2K

$5.18 ₡2,321

-72.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.76 ₫304.5K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-40.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₫21.3K

$2.90 ₡1,300

-71.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₫42.8K

$3.63 ₡1,626

-54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ₫8,890

$1.12 ₡504

-69.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.59 ₫170.6K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-90.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₫19.9K

$2.14 ₡958

-64.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₫15.7K

$1.57 ₡703

-61.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 ₫63.2K

$8.52 ₡3,823

-71.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 ₫23.0K

$1.52 ₡682

-41.45%

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

$30.6K ₫792.5M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

41.66%

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

$29.9K ₫774.6M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-13.32%

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

$77.6 ₫2.0M

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-19.42%

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

$5.89 ₫152.4K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-83.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.65 ₫224.0K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-83.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.14 ₫573.1K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-69.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.88 ₫204.1K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-77.43%

Cinema Ticket

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$7.89 ₡3,539

-59.82%

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

$160 ₫4.1M

$494 ₡221.6K

-67.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ₫322.1M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

4.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 ₫1.2M

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-17.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.86 ₫669.6K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-53.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 ₫2.1M

$77.9 ₡34.9K

6.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 ₫2.0M

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-1.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 ₫10.4M

$788 ₡353.4K

-49.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 ₫7.2M

$794 ₡356.2K

-64.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 ₫19.1M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 ₫16.0M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-56.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,832 ₫73.3M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-59.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,308 ₫33.9M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

6.85%

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 Dong Xoai: 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

Dong Xoai

$279 36.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 185% $515

Groceries & Markets

Dong Xoai

$195 25.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 80.3% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Dong Xoai

$104 13.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 15.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dong Xoai

$92 12%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 102% $94

Eating Out

Dong Xoai

$59 7.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 257% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Dong Xoai

$28 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 207% $59

Getting Around

Dong Xoai

$12 1.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 641% $75

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $401 in Dong Xoai 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 Dong Xoai versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $352 – making Dong Xoai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Dong Xoai

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:50 7:50 PM

06:50 6:50 AM

13 h behind Dong Xoai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,000

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

Dong Xoai Nosara 17,250 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Dong Xoai
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

Dong Xoai vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $770 in Dong Xoai, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 139% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,156 per month in Dong Xoai 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 Dong Xoai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $770 in Dong Xoai and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 139%.

Public transport costs about 1002% less in Dong Xoai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Dong Xoai, where all-in costs run around $770, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Dong Xoai 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 $770 in Dong Xoai 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 Dong Xoai. 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.