Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Koh Chang

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Chang: $965 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Koh Chang
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Koh Chang Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Koh Chang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Koh Chang

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $965 in Koh Chang, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Koh Chang $965

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,583 in Koh Chang, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Koh Chang $1,583

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,200 in Koh Chang, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Koh Chang $2,200

Nosara costs about 90% more than Koh Chang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Koh Chang is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$3.63 ฿121

236.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$26.36 ฿883

128.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.99 ฿234

7.87%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.26 ฿75.6

90.71%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.77 ฿25.91

123.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.40 ฿13.29

237.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.04 ฿68.4

58.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.02 ฿101

48.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.49 ฿50.0

5.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.31 ฿44.00

141.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.41 ฿47.17

71.63%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.96 ฿65.8

82.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$17.61 ฿590

-57.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$3.00 ฿101

247.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$9.66 ฿323

41.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.68 ฿89.8

-13.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.51 ฿50.7

6.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.07 ฿69.2

128.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.92 ฿64.4

-13.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.36 ฿45.44

173.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.19 ฿39.81

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.01 ฿33.88

8.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.50 ฿16.64

410.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$3.97 ฿133

24.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$16.61 ฿556

20.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.64 ฿55.1

70.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.60 ฿86.9

35.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.83 ฿61.2

-34.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.43 ฿81.4

-7.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.82 ฿27.40

89.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$2.98 ฿99.7

197.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.19 ฿39.79

31.93%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$21.1K ฿707.5K

3.17%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$21.5K ฿720.9K

60.86%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$94.2 ฿3,152

-0.74%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$10.67 ฿357

229.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$16.43 ฿550

213.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$44.74 ฿1,498

59.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$9.17 ฿307

286.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$6.47 ฿217

21.17%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$491 ฿16.4K

-0.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$10.5K ฿351.2K

13.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$60.2 ฿2,016

-11.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$27.51 ฿921

102.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$90.4 ฿3,026

-12.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$82.4 ฿2,758

-4.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$473 ฿15.8K

66.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$303 ฿10.1K

157.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,334 ฿44.7K

189.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$794 ฿26.6K

77.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,276 ฿76.2K

206.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,651 ฿55.3K

-27.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.57

54.76%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Koh Chang: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Koh Chang

$303 31.8% 61.1% $477

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Koh Chang

$242 25.4% 30.8% $108

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Koh Chang

$98 10.3% 53.2% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Koh Chang

$121 12.7% 32.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Koh Chang

$117 12.3% 2.6% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Koh Chang

$58 6.1% 33.8% $29

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Koh Chang

$14 * 1.5% 84.1% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $473 in Koh Chang. 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $26.00 in Koh Chang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $242 – making Koh Chang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Koh Chang

🕒 Local time

04:10 4:10 AM

17:10 5:10 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

8,500

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Koh Chang 17,410 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Koh Chang

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 Koh Chang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $965 in Koh Chang – roughly 90% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,448 in Koh Chang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,837 in Nosara and $965 in Koh Chang. That's a gap of about 90%.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $491 in Koh Chang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Koh Chang, where all-in costs run around $965, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Koh Chang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $965 in Koh Chang to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Koh Chang. 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.