Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Loei and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Loei: $915 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Loei
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Loei Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Loei

🇹🇭 Thailand

$915

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Loei versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Loei $915
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,493 in Loei versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Loei $1,493
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,070 in Loei versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Loei $2,070
Nosara $3,818

Living in Loei costs roughly 50% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Loei is 32% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 ฿98.1

$12.35 ₡5,539

-76.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.08 ฿738

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-63.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.78 ฿226

$7.52 ₡3,373

-9.84%

Cappuccino

$2.04 ฿68.2

$4.41 ₡1,978

-53.74%

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

$0.74 ฿24.68

$1.74 ₡780

-57.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.28

$1.31 ₡587

-71.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 ฿67.7

$3.28 ₡1,471

-38.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$4.47 ₡2,004

-35.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ฿58.4

$1.56 ₡701

12.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.15

$3.02 ₡1,355

-52.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.32

$2.51 ₡1,125

-48.21%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.8

$3.57 ₡1,603

-38.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.22 ฿542

$7.43 ₡3,333

118.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.1

$10.52 ₡4,717

-74.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.18 ฿340

$13.97 ₡6,265

-27.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.6

$2.35 ₡1,052

26.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.56

$1.61 ₡720

-36.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.3

$4.80 ₡2,152

-53.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 ฿61.2

$1.61 ₡724

13.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 ฿49.51

$3.80 ₡1,703

-61.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.09

$3.69 ₡1,657

-69.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.26

$1.13 ₡507

-1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.06

$2.66 ₡1,191

-81.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿147

$5.18 ₡2,321

-14.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.36 ฿580

$19.88 ₡8,916

-12.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ฿92.5

$3.63 ₡1,626

-23.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.88

$1.12 ₡504

-23.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ฿43.52

$2.14 ₡958

-39.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿36.20

$1.57 ₡703

-31.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 ฿158

$8.52 ₡3,823

-44.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿45.08

$1.52 ₡682

-11.18%

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

$26.6K ฿888.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

22.99%

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

$26.4K ฿882.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-23.52%

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

$83.8 ฿2,802

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-12.93%

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

$11.44 ฿382

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-68.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.35 ฿647

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-63.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.47 ฿1,587

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-33.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.92 ฿465

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-60.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.36 ฿212

$7.89 ₡3,539

-19.39%

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

$574 ฿19.2K

$494 ₡221.6K

16.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ฿362.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-8.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 ฿1,712

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-5.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.41 ฿983

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-46.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 ฿2,630

$77.9 ₡34.9K

1.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.2 ฿2,515

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-5.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 ฿14.6K

$788 ₡353.4K

-44.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 ฿9,801

$794 ₡356.2K

-63.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 ฿47.0K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-64.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 ฿24.2K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-48.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,942 ฿64.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-71.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,596 ฿53.3K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

30.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Loei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Loei

$293 32%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 171% $501

Groceries & Markets

Loei

$243 26.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 44.9% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Loei

$115 12.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 62.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Loei

$106 11.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 13.8% $15

Eating Out

Loei

$89 9.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 139% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Loei

$60 6.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 45.2% $27

Getting Around

Loei

$10 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 757% $77

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 $438 in Loei and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Loei vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $352 per month, with Loei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Loei

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

10:32 10:32 AM

13 h behind Loei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,677

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

Loei Nosara 16,850 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Loei
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

Loei vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Loei and Nosara differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($915 vs $1,839 including rent). Loei is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,373 in Loei and $2,758 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $438 in Loei versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $574 in Loei versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Loei – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $915 in Loei versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Loei but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Loei 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, Loei 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 Loei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.