Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Phitsanulok

For one person, living is cheaper in Phitsanulok: $877 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Phitsanulok
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Phitsanulok Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Phitsanulok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Phitsanulok

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $877 in Phitsanulok, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Phitsanulok $877

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,448 in Phitsanulok, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Phitsanulok $1,448

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,020 in Phitsanulok, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Phitsanulok $2,020

Nosara costs about 110% more than Phitsanulok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Phitsanulok is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.13 ฿71.1

479.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$19.26 ฿644

217.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.45 ฿182

37.98%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.73 ฿58.0

154.91%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.70 ฿23.37

148.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.32 ฿10.66

309.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.34 ฿78.2

40.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.75 ฿125

19.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.96 ฿65.5

-20.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.46 ฿48.77

106.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.36 ฿45.43

84.56%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.19 ฿73.3

63.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$16.74 ฿559

-55.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.71 ฿90.5

288.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.29 ฿311

50.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.41 ฿80.6

-2.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.99 ฿33.24

62.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.60 ฿53.6

200.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.45 ฿48.39

11.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.25 ฿41.83

204.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.07 ฿35.61

244.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.75 ฿25.14

50.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.51 ฿16.95

421.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.34 ฿145

19.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$17.92 ฿599

10.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.55 ฿52.0

87.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.73 ฿91.1

32.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.92 ฿30.59

21.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.20 ฿40.19

78.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.57 ฿18.91

175.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.36 ฿78.9

261.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.44 ฿48.11

5.56%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$20.4K ฿682.8K

5.77%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.4K ฿883.1K

30.63%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$61.3 ฿2,048

57.11%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$12.06 ฿403

197.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$20.21 ฿675

165.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$47.45 ฿1,586

50.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$14.34 ฿479

143.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.62 ฿221

19.18%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$769 ฿25.7K

-35.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$14.9K ฿499.4K

-20.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$55.2 ฿1,844

-2.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$24.45 ฿817

126.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$91.4 ฿3,053

-14.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$70.7 ฿2,364

12.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$451 ฿15.1K

74.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$293 ฿9,779

171.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,395 ฿46.6K

182.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$748 ฿25.0K

89.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,902 ฿63.6K

263.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,597 ฿53.4K

-23.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$481 ฿16.1K

79.72%

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 Phitsanulok: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Phitsanulok

$293 33.4% 63.2% $502

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Phitsanulok

$236 26.9% 33.1% $117

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Phitsanulok

$77 8.8% 63.4% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Phitsanulok

$94 10.7% 49.6% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Phitsanulok

$109 12.4% 9.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Phitsanulok

$61 6.9% 30.5% $27

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Phitsanulok

$7.7 * 0.9% 91.2% $79

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 Phitsanulok. 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 80% 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 $19.00 in Phitsanulok. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $236 – making Phitsanulok the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Phitsanulok

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

04:28 4:28 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

66,106

💱 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 Phitsanulok 16,970 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Phitsanulok

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 Phitsanulok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $877 in Phitsanulok – roughly 110% 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 $1,315 in Phitsanulok. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phitsanulok, 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 $19.00 in Phitsanulok. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Phitsanulok, where all-in costs run around $877, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Phitsanulok 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 $877 in Phitsanulok 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 Phitsanulok. 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.