Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nong Khai and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nong Khai: $921 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Nong Khai
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Nong Khai Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Nong Khai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$921

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $921 per month in Nong Khai vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Nong Khai $921
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,498 per month in Nong Khai vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Nong Khai $1,498
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,076 per month in Nong Khai vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Nong Khai $2,076
Nosara $3,818

Nong Khai is about 50% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nong Khai sits 32% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.94 ฿98.4

$12.35 ₡5,539

-76.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.56 ฿754

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-63.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 ฿234

$7.52 ₡3,373

-6.78%

Cappuccino

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.41 ₡1,978

-53.51%

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

$0.74 ฿24.89

$1.74 ₡780

-57.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.25

$1.31 ₡587

-71.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ฿71.4

$3.28 ₡1,471

-34.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ฿101

$4.47 ₡2,004

-32.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.0

$1.56 ₡701

9.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.31

$3.02 ₡1,355

-51.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.37

$2.51 ₡1,125

-48.21%

Eggs

$2.14 ฿71.6

$3.57 ₡1,603

-40.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.08 ฿537

$7.43 ₡3,333

116.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.75 ฿92.1

$10.52 ₡4,717

-73.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.26 ฿343

$13.97 ₡6,265

-26.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 ฿103

$2.35 ₡1,052

31.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.83

$1.61 ₡720

-35.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ฿74.9

$4.80 ₡2,152

-53.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 ฿63.7

$1.61 ₡724

18.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.85

$3.80 ₡1,703

-61.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$3.69 ₡1,657

-71.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.12

$1.13 ₡507

-1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.34

$2.66 ₡1,191

-80.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿145

$5.18 ₡2,321

-16.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.16 ฿574

$19.88 ₡8,916

-13.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ฿57.1

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ฿93.7

$3.63 ₡1,626

-22.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 ฿30.70

$1.12 ₡504

-17.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 ฿41.66

$2.14 ₡958

-41.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 ฿36.26

$1.57 ₡703

-30.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 ฿164

$8.52 ₡3,823

-42.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$1.52 ₡682

-7.24%

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

$25.6K ฿856.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

18.60%

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

$27.0K ฿902.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-21.75%

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

$82.3 ฿2,749

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-14.58%

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

$11.37 ฿380

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-68.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.25 ฿643

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-64.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.45 ฿1,552

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-35.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.94 ฿466

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-60.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.44 ฿215

$7.89 ₡3,539

-18.38%

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

$571 ฿19.1K

$494 ₡221.6K

15.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ฿355.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-10.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 ฿1,711

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-5.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.04 ฿971

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-47.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.4 ฿2,552

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-2.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 ฿2,536

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-4.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$439 ฿14.7K

$788 ₡353.4K

-44.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 ฿10.0K

$794 ₡356.2K

-62.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 ฿46.6K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-64.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-48.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,942 ฿64.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-71.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,598 ฿53.4K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

30.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$446 ฿14.9K

$864 ₡387.3K

-48.33%

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 Nong Khai: 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

Nong Khai

$299 32.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 165% $495

Groceries & Markets

Nong Khai

$244 26.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 44.4% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nong Khai

$113 12.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 64.6% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Nong Khai

$105 11.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14.8% $15

Eating Out

Nong Khai

$90 9.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 135% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Nong Khai

$59 6.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 47.3% $28

Getting Around

Nong Khai

$10 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 742% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $439 in Nong Khai 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.

Salaries run about 94% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Nong Khai versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $352 – making Nong Khai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Nong Khai

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

17:07 5:07 PM

13 h behind Nong Khai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000

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 = 37.57 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

Nong Khai Nosara 16,780 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nong Khai
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

Nong Khai vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 100%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,381 per month in Nong Khai 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 Nong Khai, 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 $921 in Nong Khai and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 100%.

Kindergarten costs $571 per month in Nong Khai and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nong Khai, where all-in costs run around $921, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Nong Khai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nong Khai – 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 Nong Khai. 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.