Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phi Phi and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $1,930 in Koh Phi Phi, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Koh Phi Phi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

92

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phi Phi
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Koh Phi Phi Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Koh Phi Phi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,930

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,930 per month in Koh Phi Phi vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Koh Phi Phi $1,930
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,266 per month in Koh Phi Phi vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Koh Phi Phi $3,266
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,603 per month in Koh Phi Phi vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Koh Phi Phi $4,603
Nosara $3,712

Koh Phi Phi costs about 5% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Koh Phi Phi and Nosara sit above the global median – Koh Phi Phi by 44%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.82 ฿228

$12.22 ₡5,509

-44.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.47 ฿1,623

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-19.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.83 ฿430

$7.54 ₡3,399

70.16%

Cappuccino

$4.10 ฿137

$4.31 ₡1,941

-4.87%

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

$1.36 ฿45.48

$1.72 ₡773

-20.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ฿24.55

$1.35 ₡608

-45.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ฿129

$3.24 ₡1,459

18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 ฿186

$4.48 ₡2,018

23.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ฿67.1

$1.57 ₡707

27.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.17 ₡1,429

-45.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 ฿63.0

$2.42 ₡1,091

-22.31%

Eggs

$2.52 ฿84.5

$3.57 ₡1,609

-29.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.69 ฿793

$7.43 ₡3,349

218.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.05 ฿136

$10.42 ₡4,697

-61.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 ฿441

$13.66 ₡6,156

-3.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 ฿117

$2.32 ₡1,044

50.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.61 ₡728

21.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 ฿90.7

$4.74 ₡2,138

-42.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 ฿85.5

$1.66 ₡747

53.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 ฿61.0

$3.72 ₡1,679

-51.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 ฿55.3

$3.57 ₡1,611

-53.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ฿43.10

$1.10 ₡497

17.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ฿20.78

$2.55 ₡1,149

-75.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ฿170

$4.95 ₡2,232

2.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.86 ฿732

$20.01 ₡9,020

9.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.79 ₡1,256

-23.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.53 ₡1,589

-3.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 ฿102

$1.19 ₡537

156.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 ฿138

$2.24 ₡1,011

84.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 ฿49.50

$1.55 ₡701

-4.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.21 ฿174

$8.86 ₡3,993

-41.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 ฿67.3

$1.57 ₡708

28.03%

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

$37.6K ฿1.3M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

72.52%

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

$37.9K ฿1.3M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

9.34%

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

$106 ฿3,556

$93.5 ₡42.1K

13.65%

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

$12.39 ฿415

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-64.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.02 ฿637

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-63.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.1 ฿2,080

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-12.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.26 ฿444

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-62.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.25 ฿310

$7.84 ₡3,535

17.98%

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

$665 ฿22.3K

$490 ₡220.7K

35.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K ฿467.7K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

17.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 ฿2,252

$53.5 ₡24.1K

25.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.94 ฿1,002

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-46.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ฿3,358

$79.3 ₡35.7K

26.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 ฿3,037

$78.9 ₡35.6K

15.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 ฿52.5K

$786 ₡354.3K

99.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 ฿33.7K

$780 ₡351.6K

29.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,640 ฿155.3K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

20.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,698 ฿90.3K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

91.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,572 ฿253.5K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

8.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,505 ฿184.3K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

358.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

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 Phi Phi: 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 Phi Phi

$1K 53.5%

Nosara

$780 43% 22.5% $227

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phi Phi

$321 17.1%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 8.9% $28

Eating Out

Koh Phi Phi

$181 9.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 15.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phi Phi

$138 7.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 30.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phi Phi

$130 6.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 7.2% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phi Phi

$81 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 8% $6.4

Getting Around

Koh Phi Phi

$24 * 1.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 267% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,569 in Koh Phi Phi versus $786 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 $48.00 in Koh Phi Phi versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $321 vs $350 – making Koh Phi Phi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phi Phi

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:55 11:55 AM

22:55 10:55 PM

13 h behind Koh Phi Phi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

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 = 2.22 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 = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koh Phi Phi Nosara 17,980 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,930 in Koh Phi Phi, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,894 per month in Koh Phi Phi and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, 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 $1,930 in Koh Phi Phi and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $665 per month in Koh Phi Phi and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Koh Phi Phi at $1,930. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Koh Phi Phi 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $1,930 in Koh Phi Phi. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Koh Phi Phi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.