Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Pak Kret

For one person, living is cheaper in Pak Kret: $934 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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 Pak Kret
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Pak Kret Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Pak Kret

🇹🇭 Thailand

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Pak Kret

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $934 in Pak Kret, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Pak Kret $934

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,556 in Pak Kret, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Pak Kret $1,556

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,178 in Pak Kret, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Pak Kret $2,178

Nosara costs about 97% more than Pak Kret, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Pak Kret is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.94 ฿98.4

320.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$36.19 ฿1,209

69.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.92 ฿231

8.67%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.02 ฿67.6

118.32%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.67 ฿22.45

159.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.30 ฿9.95

336.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.41 ฿80.6

36.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.63 ฿88.1

69.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.78 ฿59.4

-12.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.47 ฿49.15

105.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.40 ฿46.72

79.29%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.21 ฿73.9

61.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$15.53 ฿519

-52.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.54 ฿84.9

314.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.01 ฿334

39.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.49 ฿116

-32.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.20 ฿40.17

34.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.83 ฿61.1

162.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.87 ฿62.4

-13.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.20 ฿40.02

216.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.04 ฿34.80

254.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.28 ฿42.67

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.48 ฿15.91

454.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.38 ฿146

18.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$14.93 ฿499

33.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.69 ฿56.6

71.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.87 ฿96.0

26.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.90 ฿30.22

24.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.06 ฿35.47

101.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.11 ฿37.11

41.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$3.66 ฿122

132.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.42 ฿47.49

7.04%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$31.0K ฿1.0M

-30.37%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.7K ฿892.5K

29.25%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$93.5 ฿3,125

2.97%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$11.46 ฿383

213.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$18.10 ฿605

196.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$46.70 ฿1,561

53.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$14.31 ฿478

143.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.62 ฿255

3.54%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$566 ฿18.9K

-12.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$14.4K ฿482.6K

-17.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$51.0 ฿1,705

5.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$29.65 ฿991

86.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$94.3 ฿3,152

-17.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$76.6 ฿2,561

3.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$451 ฿15.1K

74.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$298 ฿9,947

166.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,389 ฿46.4K

183.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$740 ฿24.7K

91.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,924 ฿64.3K

259.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,553 ฿51.9K

-21.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Pak Kret: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Pak Kret

$298 31.9% 62.5% $497

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Pak Kret

$238 25.5% 32.4% $114

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Pak Kret

$90 9.6% 57.6% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Pak Kret

$123 13.2% 33.7% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Pak Kret

$113 12.1% 5.7% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Pak Kret

$62 6.6% 29.1% $25

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Pak Kret

$10 * 1.1% 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 $451 in Pak Kret. 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 $36.00 in Pak Kret. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $238 – making Pak Kret the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Pak Kret

🕒 Local time

14:45 2:45 PM

03:45 3:45 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

190,272

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Pak Kret 17,270 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Pak Kret

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 Pak Kret: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $934 in Pak Kret – roughly 97% 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 $1,401 in Pak Kret. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pak Kret, 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 $36.00 in Pak Kret. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pak Kret, where all-in costs run around $934, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Pak Kret 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 $934 in Pak Kret 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 Pak Kret. 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.