Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kampong Thom

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampong Thom: $599 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Kampong Thom
Learn more

Kampong Thom Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Kampong Thom

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $599 in Kampong Thom, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Kampong Thom $599

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $979 in Kampong Thom, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Kampong Thom $979

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,359 in Kampong Thom, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Kampong Thom $1,359

Nosara costs about 206% more than Kampong Thom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Kampong Thom is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$3.90 ៛15.8K

216.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$39.16 ៛159.1K

56.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$7.19 ៛29.2K

7.93%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.87 ៛11.7K

54.70%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.78 ៛7,244

0.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.61 ៛2,478

111.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.02 ៛4,140

217.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.98 ៛12.1K

48.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$2.19 ៛8,891

-29.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.58 ៛6,398

94.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.11 ៛4,508

127.93%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.76 ៛7,158

96.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$14.96 ៛60.8K

-51.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$4.07 ៛16.5K

151.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$8.97 ៛36.4K

57.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$3.83 ៛15.5K

-40.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.70 ៛6,893

-3.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$4.23 ៛17.2K

13.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.10 ៛8,518

-21.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.64 ៛6,648

134.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.27 ៛5,143

195.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.15 ៛4,665

-5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.78 ៛3,156

232.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$1.92 ៛7,809

166.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$10.83 ៛44.0K

83.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$0.96 ៛3,891

191.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.82 ៛7,381

93.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.12 ៛4,550

93.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.98 ៛3,960

59.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$5.04 ៛20.5K

72.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.37 ៛5,583

13.14%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$35.0K ៛142.3M

-1.38%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$44.2K ៛179.6M

-12.36%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$104 ៛424.4K

-9.25%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$7.37 ៛29.9K

390.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$24.42 ៛99.2K

117.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$5.02 ៛20.4K

57.57%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$659 ៛2.7M

-25.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.0K ៛44.6M

8.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$27.64 ៛112.3K

98.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$24.04 ៛97.6K

132.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$89.7 ៛364.4K

-10.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$58.0 ៛235.8K

34.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.07

6.82%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Kampong Thom: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Kampong Thom

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Kampong Thom

$249 41.6% 28.7% $100

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Kampong Thom

$108 18% 49.3% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Kampong Thom

$136 22.7% 25.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Kampong Thom

$90 15% 25.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Kampong Thom

$10 * 1.7% 88.8% $80

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Kampong Thom

$6 * 1% 93.2% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $39.00 in Kampong Thom. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $249 – making Kampong Thom the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇭 Kampong Thom

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

04:12 4:12 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

19,951

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Kampong Thom 17,240 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kampong Thom

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 Thom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 206%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $899 in Kampong Thom. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,835 in Nosara and $599 in Kampong Thom. That's a gap of about 206%.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $659 in Kampong Thom. 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 Kampong Thom, where all-in costs run around $599, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Kampong Thom it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kampong Thom – 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 Kampong Thom. 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.