Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ranong

For one person, living is cheaper in Ranong: $976 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Ranong
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Ranong Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Ranong

🇹🇭 Thailand

$976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ranong

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $976 in Ranong, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Ranong $976

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,650 in Ranong, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Ranong $1,650

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,324 in Ranong, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Ranong $2,324

Nosara costs about 88% more than Ranong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Ranong is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$4.36 ฿146

183.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$32.07 ฿1,072

91.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$8.46 ฿283

-8.27%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.74 ฿91.5

62.04%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.96 ฿31.98

86.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.50 ฿16.59

158.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.55 ฿85.3

27.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.76 ฿126

17.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.66 ฿55.5

-6.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.47 ฿48.98

109.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.52 ฿50.6

66.45%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.20 ฿73.4

56.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$19.67 ฿657

-62.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$3.30 ฿110

210.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$11.09 ฿371

27.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.94 ฿98.3

-22.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.64 ฿54.9

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.26 ฿75.7

111.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.07 ฿69.2

-20.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.50 ฿50.2

156.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.31 ฿43.78

186.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.06 ฿35.35

2.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.51 ฿17.01

407.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$4.46 ฿149

14.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$18.42 ฿616

8.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.81 ฿60.6

54.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.75 ฿92.1

28.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.79 ฿26.38

54.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.21 ฿40.34

79.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.07 ฿35.76

45.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$3.81 ฿127

127.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.48 ฿49.36

4.73%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.4K ฿883.5K

30.69%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$26.4K ฿881.7K

46.88%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$99.5 ฿3,324

-4.67%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$11.07 ฿370

226.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$17.26 ฿577

207.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$43.35 ฿1,449

70.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$12.40 ฿414

187.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.65 ฿256

3.40%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$548 ฿18.3K

-10.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.4K ฿382.5K

3.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$64.3 ฿2,147

-14.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$28.31 ฿946

97.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$95.8 ฿3,203

-16.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$89.6 ฿2,993

-13.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$467 ฿15.6K

71.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$268 ฿8,954

194.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,081 ฿36.1K

270.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$762 ฿25.5K

85.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,902 ฿63.6K

271.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,616 ฿54.0K

-23.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

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 Ranong: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Ranong

$268 27.4% 66.1% $522

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Ranong

$268 27.4% 23.4% $82

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Ranong

$119 12.2% 44% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Ranong

$128 13.1% 30.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Ranong

$125 12.8% 3.4% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Ranong

$59 6% 34.6% $31

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Ranong

$9.7 * 1% 89.1% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $467 in Ranong. 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 $32.00 in Ranong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $268 – making Ranong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Ranong

🕒 Local time

10:18 10:18 AM

23:18 11:18 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

16,163

💱 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 Ranong 17,750 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ranong

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 Ranong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $976 in Ranong – roughly 88% 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 $1,464 in Ranong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ranong, 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 $32.00 in Ranong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% 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 Ranong, where all-in costs run around $976, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Ranong 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 $976 in Ranong 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 Ranong. 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.