Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Poipet

For one person, living is cheaper in Poipet: $514 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Poipet
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Poipet Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Poipet

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$514

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Poipet

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $514 in Poipet, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Poipet $514

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $808 in Poipet, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Poipet $808

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,102 in Poipet, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Poipet $1,102

Nosara costs about 258% more than Poipet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Poipet is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.44 ៛9,901

406.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$20.36 ៛82.7K

200.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.92 ៛24.0K

27.03%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.62 ៛6,593

172.22%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.66 ៛2,687

163.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.46 ៛1,854

184.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.03 ៛4,178

218.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.99 ៛8,078

124.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.20 ៛8,947

-29.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.69 ៛6,880

78.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.95 ៛3,842

164.21%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.69 ៛6,849

111.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$15.61 ៛63.4K

-52.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.90 ៛11.8K

262.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.22 ៛41.5K

36.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.19 ៛17.0K

-43.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.21 ៛4,929

33.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.72 ៛15.1K

29.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.10 ៛4,465

46.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.33 ៛5,388

185.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.07 ៛4,365

244.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.37 ៛5,549

-17.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.76 ៛3,070

250.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.35 ៛5,500

283.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.69 ៛31.2K

158.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.04 ៛4,204

178.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.23 ៛9,064

62.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.97 ៛8,012

8.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.02 ៛4,139

53.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$5.10 ៛20.7K

67.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.25 ៛5,086

21.60%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$25.0K ៛101.6M

-13.64%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$22.6K ៛92.0M

52.43%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$101 ៛410.4K

-4.71%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$5.74 ៛23.3K

525.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$15.57 ៛63.2K

244.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.98 ៛20.2K

58.43%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$284 ៛1.2M

73.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,389 ៛17.8M

170.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$26.59 ៛108.0K

102.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$13.15 ៛53.4K

321.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$68.6 ៛278.7K

13.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$44.16 ៛179.4K

80.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.2

-6.30%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Poipet: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Poipet

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Poipet

$236 45.9% 33.1% $117

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Poipet

$70 13.7% 66.8% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Poipet

$122 23.8% 34.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Poipet

$69 13.4% 42.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Poipet

$10 * 1.9% 88.6% $77

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Poipet

$7.1 * 1.4% 91.9% $80

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $20.00 in Poipet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $236 – making Poipet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇭 Poipet

🕒 Local time

09:09 9:09 AM

22:09 10:09 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

98,934

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Poipet 17,230 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Poipet

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 Poipet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $514 in Poipet – roughly 258% 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 $771 in Poipet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $20.00 in Poipet. 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Poipet, where all-in costs run around $514, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Poipet 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 $514 in Poipet 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 Poipet. 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.