Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Buon Ma Thuot

For one person, living is cheaper in Buon Ma Thuot: $757 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Buon Ma Thuot
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Buon Ma Thuot Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Buon Ma Thuot

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$757

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Buon Ma Thuot

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 Buon Ma Thuot actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $757 in Buon Ma Thuot, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Buon Ma Thuot $757

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,197 in Buon Ma Thuot, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Buon Ma Thuot $1,197

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,637 in Buon Ma Thuot, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Buon Ma Thuot $1,637

Nosara costs about 143% more than Buon Ma Thuot, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Buon Ma Thuot is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.03 ₫52.6K

508.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$11.39 ₫294.9K

437.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.31 ₫111.5K

74.48%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.00 ₫25.8K

341.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.36 ₫9,357

383.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.33 ₫8,617

296.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.28 ₫33.2K

156.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.30 ₫33.6K

243.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.48 ₫38.4K

5.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.10 ₫28.4K

174.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.99 ₫25.7K

153.54%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.53 ₫39.6K

133.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.17 ₫289.3K

-33.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.81 ₫98.6K

176.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.04 ₫260.0K

39.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.07 ₫79.5K

-23.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.09 ₫28.1K

47.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.30 ₫33.7K

269.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.22 ₫31.7K

31.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.03 ₫26.8K

268.93%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.11 ₫28.7K

232.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.64 ₫16.6K

76.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.55 ₫14.1K

383.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.37 ₫35.6K

278.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.95 ₫309.3K

66.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.88 ₫22.8K

229.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.63 ₫42.3K

122.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.32 ₫8,256

250.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$6.68 ₫172.9K

987.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.77 ₫19.9K

177.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.55 ₫14.3K

185.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.42 ₫62.7K

252.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.90 ₫23.2K

68.89%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$30.7K ₫795.2M

-29.65%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$30.3K ₫784.4M

13.92%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$75.7 ₫2.0M

27.18%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$5.69 ₫147.2K

530.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$8.71 ₫225.4K

515.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$21.98 ₫568.9K

225.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$7.82 ₫202.4K

346.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$3.01 ₫77.9K

162.13%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$162 ₫4.2M

205.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.2K ₫316.4M

-2.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$45.58 ₫1.2M

18.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$26.78 ₫693.3K

106.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$84.6 ₫2.2M

-7.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$78.5 ₫2.0M

1.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$414 ₫10.7M

90.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$271 ₫7.0M

192.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$754 ₫19.5M

422.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$605 ₫15.7M

134.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,867 ₫74.2M

141.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,326 ₫34.3M

-7.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.46

1.89%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Buon Ma Thuot: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Buon Ma Thuot

$271 35.8% 65.9% $523

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Buon Ma Thuot

$198 26.1% 43.9% $154

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Buon Ma Thuot

$53 7% 75% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Buon Ma Thuot

$90 11.9% 51.5% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Buon Ma Thuot

$106 14% 11.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Buon Ma Thuot

$28 3.7% 68% $59

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Buon Ma Thuot

$11 1.5% 86.8% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $414 in Buon Ma Thuot. 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $11.00 in Buon Ma Thuot. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $198 – making Buon Ma Thuot the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇻🇳 Buon Ma Thuot

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

18:33 6:33 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

245,951

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Buon Ma Thuot 17,080 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Buon Ma Thuot

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 Buon Ma Thuot: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $757 in Buon Ma Thuot – roughly 143% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,136 in Buon Ma Thuot. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buon Ma Thuot, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $11.00 in Buon Ma Thuot. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $757 in Buon Ma Thuot. That's a gap of about 143%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Buon Ma Thuot, where all-in costs run around $757, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Buon Ma Thuot it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $757 in Buon Ma Thuot to $1,839 in Nosara. 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 Buon Ma Thuot. 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.