Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cam Ranh

For one person, living is cheaper in Cam Ranh: $729 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Cam Ranh
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Cam Ranh Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Cam Ranh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $729 in Cam Ranh.

Nosara $1,837
Cam Ranh $729

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,183 in Cam Ranh.

Nosara $2,775
Cam Ranh $1,183

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,638 in Cam Ranh.

Nosara $3,712
Cam Ranh $1,638

Living in Nosara is roughly 152% more expensive than in Cam Ranh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Cam Ranh is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,498

$2.60 ₫67.4K

370.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$23.04 ₫597.6K

161.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,391

$4.56 ₫118.2K

65.35%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,937

$1.63 ₫42.3K

164.42%

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

$1.72 ₡772

$0.37 ₫9,557

364.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡606

$0.23 ₫5,972

486.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,456

$0.60 ₫15.6K

440.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,014

$1.22 ₫31.6K

267.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.47 ₫38.0K

6.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,426

$0.47 ₫12.3K

574.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,089

$0.99 ₫25.8K

144.44%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$1.37 ₫35.5K

160.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,342

$12.00 ₫311.2K

-38.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,687

$3.11 ₫80.8K

235.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,143

$11.25 ₫291.8K

21.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,042

$1.96 ₫50.9K

18.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡726

$0.79 ₫20.6K

103.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,133

$1.08 ₫27.9K

338.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡746

$1.23 ₫32.0K

34.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,675

$0.76 ₫19.8K

389.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,608

$0.66 ₫17.2K

440.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡496

$0.80 ₫20.7K

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,147

$0.42 ₫10.8K

507.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,227

$1.57 ₫40.8K

215.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,001

$11.61 ₫301.1K

72.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,253

$0.57 ₫14.8K

389.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,586

$1.76 ₫45.7K

100.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡536

$0.35 ₫9,194

240.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

$7.12 ₫184.5K

912.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,009

$0.60 ₫15.5K

273.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡699

$0.60 ₫15.6K

158.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,985

$2.60 ₫67.3K

240.77%

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

$31.0K ₫804.8M

-29.74%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$28.0K ₫726.9M

23.57%

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

$93.5 ₡42.0K

$76.2 ₫2.0M

22.61%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$6.33 ₫164.1K

454.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$9.39 ₫243.5K

448.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.1K

$23.98 ₫621.9K

197.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡15.9K

$8.11 ₫210.4K

336.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,528

$1.95 ₫50.6K

302.05%

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

$490 ₡220.2K

$211 ₫5.5M

132.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$3,897 ₫101.1M

204.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$41.35 ₫1.1M

29.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$24.91 ₫646.0K

123.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$48.57 ₫1.3M

63.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.5K

$86.3 ₫2.2M

-8.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡353.6K

$393 ₫10.2M

99.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡350.8K

$250 ₫6.5M

211.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$808 ₫21.0M

377.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡633.0K

$566 ₫14.7M

148.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$3,163 ₫82.0M

120.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡540.2K

$1,436 ₫37.2M

-16.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡394.2K

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 5, 2026

Last update for Cam Ranh: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Cam Ranh

$250 35% 67.9% $530

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Cam Ranh

$181 25.3% 48.3% $169

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Cam Ranh

$62 8.7% 70.5% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Cam Ranh

$92 12.9% 48.9% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Cam Ranh

$91 12.7% 24.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cam Ranh

$28 3.9% 68% $59

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cam Ranh

$12 1.7% 86% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $393 in Cam Ranh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $23.00 in Cam Ranh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $181 per month, with Cam Ranh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇻🇳 Cam Ranh

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

12:24 12:24 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

220,630

💱 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 Ranh 17,080 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cam Ranh

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 Ranh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cam Ranh wins on cost – living expenses run 152% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cam Ranh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,756 in Nosara and $1,093 in Cam Ranh 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 $393 in Cam Ranh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $729 in Cam Ranh – a 152% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cam Ranh runs roughly 912% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $729 in Cam Ranh versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cam Ranh but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cam Ranh the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cam Ranh delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $729 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cam Ranh hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Cam Ranh 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 Ranh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 152% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.