Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Chon Buri

For one person, living is cheaper in Chon Buri: $813 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Chon Buri
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Chon Buri Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Chon Buri

🇹🇭 Thailand

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Chon Buri

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $813 in Chon Buri.

Nosara $1,839
Chon Buri $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,368 in Chon Buri.

Nosara $2,828
Chon Buri $1,368

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,923 in Chon Buri.

Nosara $3,818
Chon Buri $1,923

Living in Nosara is roughly 126% more expensive than in Chon Buri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Chon Buri is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$1.91 ฿63.7

546.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$16.42 ฿549

272.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.53 ฿252

-0.13%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.79 ฿59.9

146.37%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.70 ฿23.53

148.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.34 ฿11.46

285.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.74 ฿58.3

88.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.96 ฿98.9

51.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.41 ฿47.26

10.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.25 ฿41.65

141.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.22 ฿40.92

105.74%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.86 ฿62.0

91.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.28 ฿410

-39.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.51 ฿83.8

319.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.03 ฿335

39.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.57 ฿119

-34.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.96 ฿32.13

67.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.45 ฿82.0

95.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.64 ฿54.8

-1.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.98 ฿66.1

91.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.08 ฿35.98

241.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.75 ฿25.12

50.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.41 ฿13.77

548.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.36 ฿146

18.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$14.13 ฿472

40.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.60 ฿53.6

81.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.85 ฿61.8

96.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.87 ฿29.19

28.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.34 ฿78.1

-8.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.53 ฿51.3

2.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$4.91 ฿164

73.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.30 ฿43.30

16.92%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.2K ฿875.3K

-17.50%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$22.6K ฿753.9K

53.02%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$82.8 ฿2,766

16.35%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.21 ฿308

289.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$22.85 ฿764

134.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$46.71 ฿1,561

53.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$14.39 ฿481

142.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.70 ฿224

17.76%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$729 ฿24.4K

-32.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.7K ฿357.8K

10.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$6.02 ฿201

796.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$36.01 ฿1,204

53.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$71.6 ฿2,393

8.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$52.8 ฿1,763

50.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$519 ฿17.3K

51.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$256 ฿8,551

210.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,404 ฿46.9K

180.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$749 ฿25.0K

89.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,960 ฿65.5K

252.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,556 ฿52.0K

-21.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$585 ฿19.6K

47.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

187.33%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chon Buri: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Chon Buri

$256 31.5% 67.8% $538

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Chon Buri

$216 26.6% 38.7% $136

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Chon Buri

$78 9.6% 63.1% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Chon Buri

$115 14.1% 38.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Chon Buri

$75 9.2% 37.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Chon Buri

$60 7.4% 31.2% $27

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Chon Buri

$14 * 1.7% 84.5% $74

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 $788 in Nosara and $519 in Chon Buri. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 48% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $16.00 in Chon Buri for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $216 per month, with Chon Buri cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Chon Buri

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

03:00 3:00 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

70,364

💱 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 Chon Buri 17,320 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Chon Buri

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 Chon Buri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chon Buri wins on cost – living expenses run 126% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chon Buri the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 48% 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: $788 in Nosara versus $519 in Chon Buri. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $729 in Chon Buri. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chon Buri – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $813 in Chon Buri versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chon Buri but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Chon Buri the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chon Buri delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $813 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chon Buri hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Chon Buri 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 Chon Buri gentler on the wallet – expenses run 126% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.