Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Nakhon Sawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Sawan: $1,031 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Nakhon Sawan
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Nakhon Sawan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Nakhon Sawan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,031

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Nakhon Sawan

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,031 in Nakhon Sawan, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Nakhon Sawan $1,031

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,661 in Nakhon Sawan, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Nakhon Sawan $1,661

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,291 in Nakhon Sawan, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Nakhon Sawan $2,291

Nosara costs about 78% more than Nakhon Sawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Nakhon Sawan is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.03 ฿101

307.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$36.28 ฿1,212

68.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.86 ฿196

28.33%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.69 ฿89.9

63.94%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.63 ฿20.94

176.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.37 ฿12.22

254.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.73 ฿91.1

20.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.37 ฿146

2.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.88 ฿62.7

-17.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.46 ฿48.88

106.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.41 ฿47.22

78.01%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.65 ฿55.1

116.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$17.32 ฿579

-57.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.52 ฿118

198.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$13.07 ฿437

6.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.80 ฿127

-38.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.76 ฿25.53

111.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.82 ฿94.1

70.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.89 ฿63.3

-14.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.21 ฿40.33

214.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.18 ฿39.34

212.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.84 ฿28.19

34.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.48 ฿15.98

454.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.73 ฿91.2

89.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$15.14 ฿506

31.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.60 ฿53.5

81.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.31 ฿111

9.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.83 ฿27.74

34.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.05 ฿35.19

103.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.17 ฿39.08

34.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$5.94 ฿198

43.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.33 ฿44.36

14.29%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$31.2K ฿1.0M

-30.72%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$27.3K ฿911.5K

26.56%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$106 ฿3,554

-9.45%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$12.70 ฿425

182.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$17.49 ฿585

206.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$47.12 ฿1,575

51.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$14.75 ฿493

136.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.47 ฿250

5.62%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$568 ฿19.0K

-12.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$16.6K ฿554.8K

-28.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$71.2 ฿2,381

-24.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$42.42 ฿1,418

30.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$95.7 ฿3,198

-18.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$107 ฿3,568

-25.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$500 ฿16.7K

57.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$321 ฿10.7K

147.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,295 ฿43.3K

204.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$699 ฿23.4K

103.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,939 ฿64.8K

256.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,702 ฿56.9K

-28.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$471 ฿15.7K

83.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.25

64.19%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nakhon Sawan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Nakhon Sawan

$321 31.1% 59.6% $473

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Nakhon Sawan

$259 25.1% 26.6% $94

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Nakhon Sawan

$100 9.7% 52.6% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Nakhon Sawan

$137 13.2% 26.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Nakhon Sawan

$142 13.8% 18.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Nakhon Sawan

$62 6% 29% $25

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Nakhon Sawan

$10 * 1% 88.3% $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 $500 in Nakhon Sawan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 83% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $36.00 in Nakhon Sawan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $259 – making Nakhon Sawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Nakhon Sawan

🕒 Local time

17:55 5:55 PM

06:55 6:55 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

82,305

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Nakhon Sawan 17,090 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Nakhon Sawan

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 Nakhon Sawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,547 in Nakhon Sawan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nakhon Sawan, 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 $1,839 in Nosara and $1,031 in Nakhon Sawan. That's a gap of about 78%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $568 in Nakhon Sawan. 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 Nakhon Sawan, where all-in costs run around $1,031, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Nakhon Sawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nakhon Sawan – 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 Nakhon Sawan. 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.