Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Krabi

For one person, living is cheaper in Krabi: $1,020 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Krabi
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Krabi Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Krabi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Krabi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $1,020 in Krabi.

Nosara $1,835
Krabi $1,020

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $1,409 in Krabi.

Nosara $2,825
Krabi $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $1,799 in Krabi.

Nosara $3,814
Krabi $1,799

Living in Nosara is roughly 80% more expensive than in Krabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Krabi is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$3.03 ฿101

307.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$19.06 ฿637

221.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$8.93 ฿299

-13.10%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.83 ฿61.3

142.62%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.07 ฿35.74

67.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.44 ฿14.55

193.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.86 ฿62.2

74.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.34 ฿78.1

89.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$2.21 ฿73.8

-29.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.52 ฿50.8

102.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$2.09 ฿70.0

21.05%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.87 ฿62.4

84.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$16.04 ฿536

-54.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$2.79 ฿93.1

267.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$7.83 ฿262

80.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.31 ฿77.2

-0.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.03 ฿34.42

59.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.15 ฿71.8

122.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.45 ฿48.44

13.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.45 ฿48.37

165.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.26 ฿42.10

197.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.54 ฿51.4

-29.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.51 ฿17.10

407.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$4.34 ฿145

17.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$10.79 ฿361

84.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.77 ฿59.3

58.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.40 ฿80.3

46.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.93 ฿31.13

31.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$2.45 ฿81.8

-11.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.79 ฿59.9

-12.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$5.94 ฿198

45.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.37 ฿45.76

13.14%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$22.1K ฿737.4K

56.58%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$24.7K ฿827.1K

56.57%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$70.2 ฿2,346

35.11%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$11.43 ฿382

216.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$25.05 ฿837

111.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$60.9 ฿2,034

21.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$9.01 ฿301

295.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.60 ฿254

4.08%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,165 ฿272.9K

45.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$15.16 ฿507

261.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$14.99 ฿501

272.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$74.7 ฿2,496

7.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$73.1 ฿2,442

6.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$345 ฿11.5K

132.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$423 ฿14.1K

86.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$710 ฿23.7K

464.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$525 ฿17.5K

168.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,183 ฿39.5K

497.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,048 ฿35.0K

17.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$709 ฿23.7K

25.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.4

16.49%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Krabi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Krabi

$423 41.4% 46.5% $367

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Krabi

$227 22.2% 35.2% $123

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Krabi

$93 9.1% 56.2% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Krabi

$107 10.5% 42% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Krabi

$80 7.9% 33.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Krabi

$76 7.5% 15.1% $14

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Krabi

$15 * 1.5% 83% $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 $801 in Nosara and $345 in Krabi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 25% 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 $19.00 in Krabi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $227 per month, with Krabi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Krabi

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

21:15 9:15 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

50,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Krabi 17,950 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Krabi

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 Krabi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Krabi differ by about 80% in total monthly costs ($1,835 vs $1,020 including rent). Krabi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 25% 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: $801 in Nosara versus $345 in Krabi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Krabi – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,835 per month in Nosara versus $1,020 in Krabi – a 80% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,020 in Krabi versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Krabi but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Krabi 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 Krabi 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 Krabi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.