Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Khon Kaen and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Khon Kaen: $613 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Khon Kaen
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Khon Kaen Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Khon Kaen

🇹🇭 Thailand

$613

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $613 per month in Khon Kaen vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Khon Kaen $613
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,029 per month in Khon Kaen vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Khon Kaen $1,029
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,444 per month in Khon Kaen vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Khon Kaen $1,444
Nosara $3,818

Khon Kaen is about 67% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Khon Kaen sits 55% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ฿99.7

$12.35 ₡5,539

-75.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.88 ฿999

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-51.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 ฿202

$7.52 ₡3,373

-19.81%

Cappuccino

$1.46 ฿48.84

$4.41 ₡1,978

-66.89%

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

$0.59 ฿19.67

$1.74 ₡780

-66.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ฿8.92

$1.31 ₡587

-79.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$3.28 ₡1,471

-46.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 ฿226

$4.47 ₡2,004

51.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ฿29.38

$2.51 ₡1,125

-64.94%

Eggs

$2.47 ฿82.6

$3.57 ₡1,603

-30.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

Banana (1kg)

$0.92 ฿30.82

$1.61 ₡720

-42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.83

$4.80 ₡2,152

-69.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$3.69 ₡1,657

-59.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ฿20.51

$1.13 ₡507

-46.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.41

$2.66 ₡1,191

-81.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿56.4

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 ฿40.47

$1.57 ₡703

-22.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿44.66

$1.52 ₡682

-11.84%

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

$45.1K ฿1.5M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

108.70%

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

$26.8K ฿895.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-22.37%

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

$94.1 ฿3,146

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-2.23%

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

$17.76 ฿594

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-50.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.78 ฿995

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-44.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,022

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-15.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 ฿203

$7.89 ₡3,539

-22.94%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,748 ฿292.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-26.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.67 ฿992

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-44.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.23 ฿1,177

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-36.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 ฿2,510

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-3.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.7 ฿2,931

$79.6 ₡35.7K

10.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 ฿9,297

$788 ₡353.4K

-64.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$161 ฿5,366

$794 ₡356.2K

-79.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$757 ฿25.3K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-80.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$484 ฿16.2K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-65.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Khon Kaen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Khon Kaen

$161 26.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 395% $634

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Khon Kaen

$142 23.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 31.1% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Khon Kaen

$102 16.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.2% $18

Eating Out

Khon Kaen

$85 13.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 149% $127

Sport & Entertainment

Khon Kaen

$73 11.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 20.2% $15

Groceries & Markets

Khon Kaen

$45 * 7.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 691% $308

Getting Around

Khon Kaen

$6.1 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1338% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Khon Kaen 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 $30.00 in Khon Kaen versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $45.00 vs $352 – making Khon Kaen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Khon Kaen

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:39 11:39 PM

10:39 10:39 AM

13 h behind Khon Kaen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,459

4,912

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Khon Kaen Nosara 16,930 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Khon Kaen
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

Khon Kaen vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 200%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $920 per month in Khon Kaen 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 Khon Kaen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 691% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Khon Kaen and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Khon Kaen, where all-in costs run around $613, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Khon Kaen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Khon Kaen – 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 Khon Kaen. 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.