Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Maha Sarakham

For one person, living is cheaper in Maha Sarakham: $919 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Maha Sarakham
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Maha Sarakham Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Maha Sarakham

🇹🇭 Thailand

$919

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Maha Sarakham

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $919 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Maha Sarakham $919

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,507 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Maha Sarakham $1,507

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,094 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Maha Sarakham $2,094

Nosara costs about 100% more than Maha Sarakham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Maha Sarakham is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.05 ฿102

304.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$22.47 ฿751

172.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.08 ฿237

6.21%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.12 ฿71.0

108.02%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.73 ฿24.23

138.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.33 ฿11.15

296.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.02 ฿67.6

62.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.04 ฿102

47.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.74 ฿58.2

-10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.39 ฿46.53

117.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.35 ฿45.20

85.93%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.07 ฿69.1

72.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$16.39 ฿548

-54.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.75 ฿92.0

282.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.23 ฿342

36.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.03 ฿101

-22.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.08 ฿36.10

49.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.16 ฿72.3

122.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.90 ฿63.4

-15.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.49 ฿49.65

155.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.11 ฿37.11

232.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.12 ฿37.41

0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.48 ฿16.12

454.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.44 ฿149

16.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$17.25 ฿577

15.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.70 ฿56.9

70.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.78 ฿92.8

30.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.90 ฿30.10

24.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.26 ฿42.02

69.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.12 ฿37.42

40.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$4.93 ฿165

72.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.34 ฿44.74

13.43%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.0K ฿869.7K

-16.97%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.4K ฿881.4K

30.88%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$82.5 ฿2,755

16.79%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$11.45 ฿383

213.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$19.19 ฿641

179.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$47.10 ฿1,574

52.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$13.97 ฿467

149.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.63 ฿222

19.00%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$563 ฿18.8K

-12.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.7K ฿357.3K

10.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$51.3 ฿1,715

5.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$29.17 ฿975

89.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$78.1 ฿2,610

-0.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$76.8 ฿2,565

3.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$441 ฿14.7K

78.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$293 ฿9,807

170.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,382 ฿46.2K

184.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$740 ฿24.7K

91.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,901 ฿63.5K

263.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,610 ฿53.8K

-23.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 11, 2026

Last update for Maha Sarakham: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Maha Sarakham

$293 31.9% 63.1% $501

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Maha Sarakham

$244 26.6% 30.8% $108

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Maha Sarakham

$92 10% 56.8% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Maha Sarakham

$113 12.3% 39.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Maha Sarakham

$106 11.5% 11.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Maha Sarakham

$60 6.6% 30.9% $27

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Maha Sarakham

$10 * 1.1% 88% $77

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 $441 in Maha Sarakham. 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 $22.00 in Maha Sarakham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $244 – making Maha Sarakham the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Maha Sarakham

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

04:37 4:37 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

46,523

💱 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 = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Maha Sarakham 16,940 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Maha Sarakham

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 Maha Sarakham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $919 in Maha Sarakham – roughly 100% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,378 in Maha Sarakham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $22.00 in Maha Sarakham. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Maha Sarakham, where all-in costs run around $919, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Maha Sarakham 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 $919 in Maha Sarakham to $1,839 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 Maha Sarakham. 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.