Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Phuket

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Phuket $2,845

Nosara costs about 52% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$4.40 ฿147

180.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$32.26 ฿1,078

90.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$8.76 ฿293

-11.42%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.83 ฿94.5

56.89%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.90 ฿30.14

98.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.47 ฿15.56

174.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.55 ฿85.2

27.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.83 ฿128

15.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.73 ฿57.7

-10.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.47 ฿49.11

109.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.51 ฿50.6

67.55%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.17 ฿72.7

58.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$19.70 ฿658

-62.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$3.34 ฿112

206.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$11.16 ฿373

26.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.85 ฿95.1

-19.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.70 ฿56.9

-3.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.19 ฿73.3

118.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.05 ฿68.4

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.45 ฿48.57

165.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.38 ฿46.16

171.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.07 ฿35.69

1.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.51 ฿16.91

407.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$4.26 ฿142

20.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$18.58 ฿621

7.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.78 ฿59.7

57.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.85 ฿95.2

23.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$2.26 ฿75.6

-46.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$22.10 ฿738

234.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.01 ฿101

-27.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.06 ฿35.34

47.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$3.86 ฿129

124.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.45 ฿48.45

6.90%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

31.22%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

43.82%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$96.4 ฿3,221

-1.62%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$11.04 ฿369

227.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$17.14 ฿573

209.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$52.2 ฿1,744

41.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$11.16 ฿373

219.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.81 ฿261

1.28%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$556 ฿18.6K

-11.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

2.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$64.2 ฿2,146

-14.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$28.69 ฿959

94.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$95.4 ฿3,187

-15.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$88.0 ฿2,940

-11.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$737 ฿24.6K

8.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$462 ฿15.5K

70.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$2,095 ฿70.0K

91.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

17.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$3,488 ฿116.6K

102.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-51.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$501 ฿16.7K

77.07%

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 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 41.4% $327

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 23.2% $81

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 43% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 32.3% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 2.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 24.3% $22

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 55.6% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $737 in Phuket. 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 77% 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 $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

16:30 4:30 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

79,308

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Phuket 17,980 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,208 in Phuket – roughly 52% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 234% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $556 in Phuket. 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 Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Phuket 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 $1,208 in Phuket to $1,835 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 Phuket. 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.