Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Phetchabun

For one person, living is cheaper in Phetchabun: $892 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Phetchabun
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Phetchabun Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Phetchabun

🇹🇭 Thailand

$892

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Phetchabun

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $892 in Phetchabun, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Phetchabun $892

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,464 in Phetchabun, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Phetchabun $1,464

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,037 in Phetchabun, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Phetchabun $2,037

Nosara costs about 106% more than Phetchabun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Phetchabun is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$1.73 ฿57.8

613.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$22.07 ฿738

177.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.50 ฿217

15.69%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.17 ฿39.17

276.92%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.69 ฿23.12

152.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.21 ฿7.01

523.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.04 ฿68.1

60.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.03 ฿101

47.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.72 ฿57.4

-9.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.38 ฿46.18

118.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.33 ฿44.48

88.72%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.17 ฿72.7

64.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$16.43 ฿549

-54.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.72 ฿90.9

286.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.00 ฿334

39.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.01 ฿101

-21.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.05 ฿35.03

53.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.23 ฿74.5

115.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.80 ฿60.2

-10.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.42 ฿47.30

167.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.12 ฿37.27

229.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.12 ฿37.50

0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.52 ฿17.26

411.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.30 ฿144

20.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$17.26 ฿577

15.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.67 ฿55.8

73.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.80 ฿93.5

29.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.87 ฿29.12

28.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.28 ฿42.79

67.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.12 ฿37.52

40.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$4.83 ฿161

76.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.40 ฿46.79

8.57%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.0K ฿869.8K

-16.97%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.5K ฿885.3K

30.31%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$82.1 ฿2,742

17.36%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$11.66 ฿390

207.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$19.16 ฿640

179.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$46.35 ฿1,549

54.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$13.92 ฿465

150.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.61 ฿221

19.36%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$574 ฿19.2K

-13.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.7K ฿358.7K

10.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$50.5 ฿1,686

6.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$29.63 ฿990

87.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$78.4 ฿2,618

-0.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$76.5 ฿2,555

4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$453 ฿15.1K

74.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$293 ฿9,806

170.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,382 ฿46.2K

185.06%

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

$1,932 ฿64.6K

257.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,585 ฿53.0K

-22.77%

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 Phetchabun: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Phetchabun

$293 32.9% 63.1% $501

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Phetchabun

$243 27.2% 31.1% $109

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Phetchabun

$67 7.5% 68.2% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Phetchabun

$113 12.7% 39.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Phetchabun

$106 11.9% 12% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Phetchabun

$60 6.7% 31.8% $28

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Phetchabun

$10 * 1.2% 88.1% $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 $453 in Phetchabun. 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 Phetchabun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $243 – making Phetchabun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Phetchabun

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

01:02 1:02 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

23,823

💱 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 Phetchabun 16,990 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Phetchabun

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 Phetchabun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $892 in Phetchabun – roughly 106% 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 $1,338 in Phetchabun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 45% 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 Phetchabun, where all-in costs run around $892, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Phetchabun 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 $892 in Phetchabun 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 Phetchabun. 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.