Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Khon Kaen

For one person, living is cheaper in Khon Kaen: $613 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Khon Kaen
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Khon Kaen Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Khon Kaen

🇹🇭 Thailand

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Khon Kaen

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $613 in Khon Kaen, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Khon Kaen $613

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,029 in Khon Kaen, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Khon Kaen $1,029

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,444 in Khon Kaen, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Khon Kaen $1,444

Nosara costs about 200% more than Khon Kaen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Khon Kaen is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.98 ฿99.7

314.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$29.88 ฿999

104.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.03 ฿202

24.71%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.46 ฿48.84

202.05%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.59 ฿19.67

194.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.27 ฿8.92

385.19%

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

$6.76 ฿226

-33.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.88 ฿29.38

185.23%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.47 ฿82.6

44.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.92 ฿30.82

75.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.46 ฿48.83

228.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.50 ฿50.1

146.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.61 ฿20.51

85.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.49 ฿16.41

442.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.69 ฿56.4

71.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.21 ฿40.47

29.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.34 ฿44.66

13.43%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$45.1K ฿1.5M

-52.09%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.8K ฿895.5K

28.82%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$94.1 ฿3,146

2.28%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.76 ฿594

102.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$29.78 ฿995

79.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$60.5 ฿2,022

18.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.08 ฿203

29.77%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,748 ฿292.3K

35.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$29.67 ฿992

81.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$35.23 ฿1,177

57.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$75.1 ฿2,510

3.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$87.7 ฿2,931

-9.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$278 ฿9,297

183.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$161 ฿5,366

394.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$757 ฿25.3K

420.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$484 ฿16.2K

193.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Khon Kaen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Khon Kaen

$161 26.2% 79.8% $634

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Khon Kaen

$45 * 7.3% 87.4% $308

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Khon Kaen

$85 13.9% 59.8% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Khon Kaen

$142 23.1% 23.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Khon Kaen

$102 16.7% 14.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Khon Kaen

$73 11.9% 16.8% $15

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Khon Kaen

$6.1 * 1% 93% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $278 in Khon Kaen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $30.00 in Khon Kaen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $45.00 – making Khon Kaen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Khon Kaen

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

00:29 12:29 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

114,459

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Khon Kaen 16,930 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Khon Kaen

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 Khon Kaen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 200%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $920 in Khon Kaen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Khon Kaen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 691% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $30.00 in Khon Kaen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Khon Kaen, where all-in costs run around $613, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Khon Kaen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Khon Kaen – 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 Khon Kaen. 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.