Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Phangan: $1,018 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,018

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,018 in Koh Phangan versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Koh Phangan $1,018
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,673 in Koh Phangan versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Koh Phangan $1,673
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,328 in Koh Phangan versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Koh Phangan $2,328
Nosara $3,712

Living in Koh Phangan costs roughly 45% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Koh Phangan is 24% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.05 ฿136

$12.22 ₡5,509

-66.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ฿989

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-51.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 ฿255

$7.54 ₡3,399

0.66%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ฿84.2

$4.31 ₡1,941

-42.00%

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

$0.81 ฿27.09

$1.72 ₡773

-52.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.01

$1.35 ₡608

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 ฿77.4

$3.24 ₡1,459

-29.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 ฿114

$4.48 ₡2,018

-23.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.5

$1.57 ₡707

1.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ฿45.86

$3.17 ₡1,429

-57.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.42 ₡1,091

-38.02%

Eggs

$2.05 ฿68.9

$3.57 ₡1,609

-42.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.36 ฿617

$7.43 ₡3,349

147.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ฿107

$10.42 ₡4,697

-69.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.61 ฿357

$13.66 ₡6,156

-22.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 ฿93.9

$2.32 ₡1,044

20.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.7

$1.61 ₡728

-4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.5

$4.74 ₡2,138

-55.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.66 ₡747

17.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.39

$3.72 ₡1,679

-61.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ฿41.97

$3.57 ₡1,611

-64.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿34.39

$1.10 ₡497

-7.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.09

$2.55 ₡1,149

-81.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 ฿139

$4.95 ₡2,232

-16.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.24 ฿580

$20.01 ₡9,020

-13.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿56.7

$2.79 ₡1,256

-39.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ฿88.6

$3.53 ₡1,589

-25.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 ฿67.2

$1.19 ₡537

68.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 ฿87.4

$2.24 ₡1,011

16.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 ฿31.19

$1.55 ₡701

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 ฿113

$8.86 ₡3,993

-61.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿43.20

$1.57 ₡708

-17.83%

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

$24.1K ฿809.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

10.39%

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

$24.1K ฿810.2K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-30.42%

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

$98.9 ฿3,324

$93.5 ₡42.1K

5.80%

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

$11.05 ฿371

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-68.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.87 ฿567

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-67.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 ฿1,784

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-25.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.77 ฿362

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-69.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 ฿253

$7.84 ₡3,535

-3.95%

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

$557 ฿18.7K

$490 ₡220.7K

13.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ฿392.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-1.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.0 ฿2,151

$53.5 ₡24.1K

19.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.52 ฿959

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-48.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 ฿3,223

$79.3 ₡35.7K

20.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ฿2,922

$78.9 ₡35.6K

10.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ฿17.2K

$786 ₡354.3K

-34.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 ฿10.8K

$780 ₡351.6K

-58.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 ฿48.5K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-62.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$843 ฿28.4K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-40.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 ฿81.4K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-65.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,779 ฿59.8K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

48.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$709 ฿23.8K

$876 ₡395.0K

-19.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.62

-35.38%

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

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$321 31.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 143% $458

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$253 24.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 38.3% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$127 12.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 42% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$124 12.2%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 2.8% $3.5

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$109 10.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 92.9% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 27.8% $19

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$15 * 1.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 470% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $513 in Koh Phangan and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 24% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $29.00 in Koh Phangan vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $350 per month, with Koh Phangan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

19:18 7:18 PM

13 h behind Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Koh Phangan Nosara 17,730 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Koh Phangan
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

Koh Phangan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Phangan and Nosara differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($1,018 vs $1,837 including rent). Koh Phangan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $513 in Koh Phangan versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,018 per month in Koh Phangan versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,018 in Koh Phangan versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Phangan but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Phangan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Koh Phangan 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.

Expats usually find Koh Phangan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.