Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Phnom Penh

For one person, living is cheaper in Phnom Penh: $1,037 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Phnom Penh

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,037 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Phnom Penh $1,037

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,654 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Phnom Penh $1,654

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,271 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Phnom Penh $2,271

Nosara costs about 77% more than Phnom Penh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Phnom Penh is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$4.08 ៛16.6K

199.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$39.62 ៛160.7K

51.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.91 ៛28.0K

9.12%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.02 ៛12.3K

42.72%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.87 ៛7,583

-8.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.61 ៛2,487

121.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$0.98 ៛3,969

230.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.94 ៛11.9K

52.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.17 ៛8,815

-27.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.61 ៛6,516

96.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.07 ៛4,322

126.17%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.73 ៛7,033

106.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$14.96 ៛60.7K

-50.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.07 ៛16.5K

156.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$9.25 ៛37.5K

47.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.87 ៛15.7K

-40.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.70 ៛6,889

-5.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$4.30 ៛17.4K

10.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.13 ៛8,659

-22.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.62 ៛6,559

129.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.28 ៛5,180

178.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.15 ៛4,663

-4.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.77 ៛3,104

231.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.95 ៛7,895

153.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$11.20 ៛45.4K

78.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.03 ៛4,171

170.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.79 ៛7,274

97.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.47 ៛1,903

153.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$9.74 ៛39.5K

639.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.10 ៛4,461

103.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.98 ៛3,960

58.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$5.15 ៛20.9K

72.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.35 ៛5,492

16.30%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$35.5K ៛144.1M

-38.64%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$43.9K ៛177.9M

-21.02%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$106 ៛431.9K

-12.25%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$7.39 ៛30.0K

375.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$25.24 ៛102.4K

104.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$40.80 ៛165.5K

75.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$10.94 ៛44.4K

223.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$4.97 ៛20.2K

57.75%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$665 ៛2.7M

-26.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$11.0K ៛44.6M

8.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$27.67 ៛112.2K

93.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$24.26 ៛98.4K

129.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$89.8 ៛364.1K

-11.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$59.1 ៛239.7K

33.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$639 ៛2.6M

23.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$370 ៛1.5M

111.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,148 ៛4.7M

236.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$803 ៛3.3M

75.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,883 ៛11.7M

141.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,488 ៛6.0M

-19.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$330 ៛1.3M

165.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.07

6.82%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Phnom Penh

$370 35.9% 52.6% $410

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Phnom Penh

$252 24.5% 28% $98

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Phnom Penh

$110 10.7% 47.3% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Phnom Penh

$139 13.5% 22.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Phnom Penh

$90 8.8% 24.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Phnom Penh

$51 4.9% 41.7% $36

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Phnom Penh

$18 1.7% 79.7% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $639 in Phnom Penh. 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 165% 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $40.00 in Phnom Penh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $252 – making Phnom Penh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

17:27 5:27 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

2,009,264 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,056 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,545 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Phnom Penh 17,350 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Phnom Penh

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 Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,037 in Phnom Penh – roughly 77% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,556 in Phnom Penh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 640% less in Phnom Penh. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $665 in Phnom Penh. 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 Phnom Penh, where all-in costs run around $1,037, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Phnom Penh 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 $1,037 in Phnom Penh to $1,837 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 Phnom Penh. 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.