Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Battambang

For one person, living is cheaper in Battambang: $650 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Battambang
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Battambang Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Battambang

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Battambang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Battambang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $650 in Battambang.

Nosara $1,837
Battambang $650

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,040 in Battambang.

Nosara $2,775
Battambang $1,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,429 in Battambang.

Nosara $3,712
Battambang $1,429

Living in Nosara is roughly 183% more expensive than in Battambang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Battambang is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$2.44 ៛9,889

400.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$17.77 ៛72.0K

238.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.19 ៛25.1K

21.81%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.35 ៛5,456

219.26%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.68 ៛2,744

152.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.52 ៛2,112

159.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$0.84 ៛3,418

285.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.30 ៛9,321

94.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.20 ៛8,915

-28.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.02 ៛4,123

210.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$0.99 ៛4,006

144.44%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.68 ៛6,808

112.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$14.88 ៛60.3K

-50.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$2.44 ៛9,870

327.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$9.26 ៛37.5K

47.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.96 ៛16.1K

-41.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.28 ៛5,195

25.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$4.19 ៛17.0K

13.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.18 ៛8,847

-23.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.57 ៛6,349

136.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.15 ៛4,654

210.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.73 ៛2,946

50.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.74 ៛2,991

244.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.87 ៛7,571

164.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$11.16 ៛45.2K

79.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$0.60 ៛2,438

365.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$0.98 ៛3,981

260.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.90 ៛3,652

148.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.89 ៛3,617

74.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$4.87 ៛19.7K

81.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.25 ៛5,056

25.60%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$34.8K ៛141.0M

-37.39%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$34.1K ៛138.0M

1.68%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$63.7 ៛258.0K

46.70%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$2.77 ៛11.2K

1167.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$24.60 ៛99.6K

109.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$22.59 ៛91.5K

216.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$4.89 ៛19.8K

60.33%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$91.1 ៛368.8K

437.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$3,931 ៛15.9M

202.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$20.04 ៛81.2K

167.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$24.47 ៛99.1K

127.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$92.2 ៛373.4K

-14.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$44.66 ៛180.9K

76.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$221 ៛893.6K

256.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$151 ៛612.8K

415.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$433 ៛1.8M

790.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$327 ៛1.3M

330.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$199 ៛806.4K

340.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.25

18.90%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Battambang: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Battambang

$151 23% 80.6% $629

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Battambang

$229 34.7% 34.5% $121

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Battambang

$68 10.3% 67.6% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Battambang

$91 13.8% 49.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Battambang

$82 12.4% 32.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Battambang

$32 4.9% 62.8% $55

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Battambang

$5.4 * 0.8% 93.8% $81

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 $786 in Nosara and $221 in Battambang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 340% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $18.00 in Battambang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $229 per month, with Battambang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇭 Battambang

🕒 Local time

01:13 1:13 AM

14:13 2:13 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

196,709

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,050 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,542 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Battambang 17,270 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Battambang

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

Nosara vs Battambang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Battambang wins on cost – living expenses run 183% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Battambang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 340% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $221 in Battambang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $91.1 in Battambang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Battambang – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $650 in Battambang versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Battambang but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Battambang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Battambang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $650 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Battambang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Battambang 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 Battambang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 183% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.