Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cam Pha

For one person, living is cheaper in Cam Pha: $789 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Cam Pha
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Cam Pha Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Cam Pha

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cam Pha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $789 in Cam Pha.

Nosara $1,837
Cam Pha $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,276 in Cam Pha.

Nosara $2,775
Cam Pha $1,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,762 in Cam Pha.

Nosara $3,712
Cam Pha $1,762

Living in Nosara is roughly 133% more expensive than in Cam Pha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Cam Pha is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,498

$2.16 ₫56.1K

465.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$22.75 ₫590.1K

164.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,391

$4.19 ₫108.7K

79.95%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,937

$1.85 ₫47.9K

132.97%

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

$1.72 ₡772

$0.47 ₫12.1K

265.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡606

$0.30 ₫7,693

350.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,456

$1.07 ₫27.7K

202.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,014

$1.91 ₫49.5K

134.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.52 ₫39.5K

3.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,426

$1.10 ₫28.7K

188.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,089

$0.80 ₫20.7K

202.50%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$1.50 ₫38.8K

138.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,342

$10.25 ₫265.9K

-27.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,687

$3.62 ₫94.0K

187.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,143

$9.68 ₫251.1K

41.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,042

$3.34 ₫86.5K

-30.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡726

$1.05 ₫27.2K

53.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,133

$1.32 ₫34.2K

259.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡746

$1.10 ₫28.4K

50.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,675

$0.91 ₫23.5K

308.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,608

$1.08 ₫28.0K

230.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡496

$0.55 ₫14.2K

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,147

$0.51 ₫13.2K

400.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,227

$1.42 ₫36.9K

248.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,001

$12.52 ₫324.6K

59.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,253

$0.93 ₫24.2K

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,586

$1.65 ₫42.8K

113.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡536

$0.31 ₫8,070

283.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

$7.38 ₫191.5K

876.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,009

$0.78 ₫20.3K

187.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡699

$0.60 ₫15.5K

158.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,985

$2.32 ₫60.2K

281.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡706

$0.91 ₫23.5K

72.53%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$31.3K ₫811.6M

-30.33%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$29.9K ₫774.5M

15.99%

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

$93.5 ₡42.0K

$87.1 ₫2.3M

7.25%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$5.33 ₫138.1K

558.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$8.59 ₫222.8K

499.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.1K

$22.48 ₫582.9K

217.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡15.9K

$7.68 ₫199.3K

361.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,528

$4.33 ₫112.4K

81.06%

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

$490 ₡220.2K

$162 ₫4.2M

202.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$28.0K ₫726.9M

-57.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$48.08 ₫1.2M

11.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$26.38 ₫684.3K

111.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$82.8 ₫2.1M

-4.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.5K

$79.0 ₫2.0M

-0.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡353.6K

$372 ₫9.6M

111.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡350.8K

$236 ₫6.1M

229.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$728 ₫18.9M

430.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡633.0K

$681 ₫17.7M

106.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,442 ₫63.3M

185.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡540.2K

$1,133 ₫29.4M

6.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡394.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.28

4.11%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cam Pha: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Cam Pha

$236 31.8% 69.7% $543

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Cam Pha

$193 26% 44.7% $156

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Cam Pha

$64 8.6% 69.3% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Cam Pha

$101 13.6% 43.9% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Cam Pha

$106 14.3% 11.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cam Pha

$31 4.2% 64.2% $56

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cam Pha

$12 1.7% 85.7% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $372 in Cam Pha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $23.00 in Cam Pha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $193 per month, with Cam Pha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇻🇳 Cam Pha

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

09:33 9:33 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

182,137

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 25,934 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,064 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cam Pha 16,290 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cam Pha

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 Cam Pha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cam Pha wins on cost – living expenses run 133% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cam Pha the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,756 in Nosara and $1,184 in Cam Pha 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: $786 in Nosara versus $372 in Cam Pha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cam Pha runs roughly 877% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $162 in Cam Pha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $789 in Cam Pha versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cam Pha but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cam Pha the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cam Pha delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $789 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cam Pha hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Cam Pha 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 Cam Pha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.