Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Buriram

For one person, living is cheaper in Buriram: $901 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Buriram
Learn more

Buriram Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Buriram

🇹🇭 Thailand

$901

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Buriram

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 Buriram actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $901 in Buriram, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Buriram $901

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,531 in Buriram, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Buriram $1,531

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,162 in Buriram, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Buriram $2,162

Nosara costs about 104% more than Buriram, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Buriram is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$1.45 ฿48.36

751.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$22.19 ฿742

175.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.52 ฿285

-11.74%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.36 ฿45.50

224.26%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.44 ฿14.68

295.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.24 ฿7.98

445.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.82 ฿61.0

80.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.28 ฿143

4.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.48 ฿49.35

5.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.29 ฿43.09

134.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.34 ฿44.85

87.31%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.87 ฿62.4

90.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$18.13 ฿606

-59.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.77 ฿92.5

279.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.87 ฿330

41.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.71 ฿90.7

-13.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.21 ฿40.43

33.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.15 ฿71.9

123.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.68 ฿56.3

-4.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.52 ฿50.7

150.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.24 ฿41.43

197.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.11 ฿37.02

1.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.50 ฿16.56

432.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.29 ฿143

20.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$17.10 ฿572

16.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.51 ฿50.5

92.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.09 ฿103

17.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.90 ฿30.13

24.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.45 ฿48.53

47.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.96 ฿31.97

63.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$4.69 ฿157

81.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.32 ฿44.20

15.15%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$28.2K ฿942.6K

-23.38%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$27.8K ฿929.3K

24.13%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$79.7 ฿2,664

20.79%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$12.12 ฿405

196.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$20.19 ฿675

165.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$52.8 ฿1,765

35.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$13.47 ฿450

159.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.03 ฿201

30.85%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$552 ฿18.5K

-10.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.0K ฿401.1K

-1.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$50.9 ฿1,700

6.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$27.33 ฿913

102.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$75.8 ฿2,532

2.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$86.3 ฿2,882

-7.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$448 ฿15.0K

76.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$291 ฿9,713

173.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,311 ฿43.8K

200.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$841 ฿28.1K

68.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,225 ฿74.4K

210.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,476 ฿49.3K

-17.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.57

54.76%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Buriram: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Buriram

$291 32.3% 63.4% $504

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Buriram

$242 26.8% 31.4% $111

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Buriram

$74 8.2% 65.1% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Buriram

$112 12.4% 39.7% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Buriram

$108 12% 10% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Buriram

$65 7.2% 25.8% $23

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Buriram

$9.8 * 1.1% 88.7% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $448 in Buriram. 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 $22.00 in Buriram. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $242 – making Buriram the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Buriram

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

02:03 2:03 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

28,333

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Buriram 17,070 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Buriram

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 Buriram: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 104%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,351 in Buriram. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buriram, 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 $1,839 in Nosara and $901 in Buriram. That's a gap of about 104%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $552 in Buriram. 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 Buriram, where all-in costs run around $901, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Buriram it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Buriram – 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 Buriram. 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.