Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kampong Cham

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampong Cham: $525 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Kampong Cham
Learn more

Kampong Cham Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Kampong Cham

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kampong Cham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $525 in Kampong Cham.

Nosara $1,837
Kampong Cham $525

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $825 in Kampong Cham.

Nosara $2,775
Kampong Cham $825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,126 in Kampong Cham.

Nosara $3,712
Kampong Cham $1,126

Living in Nosara is roughly 250% more expensive than in Kampong Cham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Kampong Cham is 61% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$2.52 ៛10.2K

384.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$20.34 ៛82.5K

195.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.83 ៛31.7K

-3.70%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.48 ៛6,008

191.22%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.48 ៛1,929

258.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.43 ៛1,741

213.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$0.48 ៛1,948

575.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$1.48 ៛6,001

202.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.24 ៛9,095

-29.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.73 ៛7,018

83.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$0.88 ៛3,557

175.00%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.67 ៛6,788

113.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$15.09 ៛61.2K

-50.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$2.84 ៛11.5K

266.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$10.03 ៛40.7K

36.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$4.28 ៛17.3K

-45.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.22 ៛4,946

31.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$3.70 ៛15.0K

28.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.08 ៛4,395

53.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.29 ៛5,223

188.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.13 ៛4,574

215.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.37 ៛5,541

-19.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.76 ៛3,082

235.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.41 ៛5,734

251.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$8.08 ៛32.8K

147.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.03 ៛4,186

170.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.33 ៛9,434

51.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.94 ៛7,871

15.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.03 ៛4,170

50.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$5.05 ៛20.5K

75.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.24 ៛5,046

26.61%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$25.1K ៛101.8M

-13.13%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$22.2K ៛90.0M

56.01%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$100 ៛406.4K

-6.74%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$5.55 ៛22.5K

532.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$15.43 ៛62.6K

233.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$9.80 ៛39.8K

628.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$5.09 ៛20.6K

54.03%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$277 ៛1.1M

76.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$4,357 ៛17.7M

172.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$26.49 ៛107.4K

102.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$13.28 ៛53.9K

319.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$68.3 ៛276.9K

16.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$45.51 ៛184.6K

73.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.2

-6.30%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kampong Cham: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Kampong Cham

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Kampong Cham

$235 45% 32.7% $114

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Kampong Cham

$70 13.5% 66.4% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Kampong Cham

$121 23.2% 32.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Kampong Cham

$69 13.2% 42.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kampong Cham

$20 3.8% 77.1% $67

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kampong Cham

$7.1 * 1.4% 91.8% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $20.00 in Kampong Cham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $235 per month, with Kampong Cham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇭 Kampong Cham

🕒 Local time

19:53 7:53 PM

08:53 8:53 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

118,242

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,056 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,549 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Kampong Cham 17,280 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kampong Cham

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 Kampong Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Kampong Cham differ by about 250% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $525 including rent). Kampong Cham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,756 in Nosara and $788 in Kampong Cham 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $525 in Kampong Cham – a 250% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $525 in Kampong Cham versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kampong Cham but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kampong Cham the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Kampong Cham 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 Kampong Cham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 250% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.