Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Rayong

For one person, living is cheaper in Rayong: $940 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Rayong
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Rayong Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Rayong

🇹🇭 Thailand

$940

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Rayong

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $940 in Rayong, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Rayong $940

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,191 in Rayong, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Rayong $1,191

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,443 in Rayong, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Rayong $1,443

Nosara costs about 96% more than Rayong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Rayong is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,547

$2.89 ฿96.6

327.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$17.80 ฿595

243.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,377

$6.42 ฿214

17.13%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,981

$1.62 ฿54.1

172.22%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$0.51 ฿17.15

241.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.28 ฿9.43

367.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,473

$1.73 ฿57.9

89.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,007

$3.05 ฿102

46.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.87 ฿62.6

-16.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,357

$1.30 ฿43.50

132.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$1.42 ฿47.45

76.76%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$2.61 ฿87.2

36.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,338

$17.02 ฿568

-56.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,724

$2.91 ฿97.2

261.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,274

$13.02 ฿435

7.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$3.29 ฿110

-28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.75 ฿58.5

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,155

$2.24 ฿74.8

114.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.90 ฿63.3

-15.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$1.68 ฿56.2

126.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,659

$1.50 ฿50.2

146.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.28 ฿42.66

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.52 ฿17.41

411.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,324

$4.52 ฿151

14.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,929

$15.09 ฿504

31.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$1.82 ฿60.9

59.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,628

$3.21 ฿107

13.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡959

$1.06 ฿35.45

101.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.21 ฿40.32

29.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,828

$6.03 ฿201

41.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.42 ฿47.30

7.04%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$31.2K ฿1.0M

-30.84%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$27.2K ฿910.0K

26.68%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$44.28 ฿1,479

117.46%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.92 ฿498

140.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$11.83 ฿395

353.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$66.8 ฿2,230

7.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$17.63 ฿589

98.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,544

$6.59 ฿220

19.73%

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

$494 ₡221.9K

$574 ฿19.2K

-13.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$16.3K ฿546.0K

-27.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$69.7 ฿2,329

-22.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$43.37 ฿1,449

27.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$98.2 ฿3,281

-20.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$108 ฿3,623

-26.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.9K

$419 ฿14.0K

88.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.7K

$295 ฿9,853

169.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

$2,027 ฿67.7K

-39.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

$469 ฿15.7K

84.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.25

64.19%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rayong: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Rayong

$295 31.4% 62.9% $499

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Rayong

$263 28% 25.3% $89

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Rayong

$80 8.5% 62.4% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Rayong

$71 7.6% 61.8% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Rayong

$144 15.3% 19.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Rayong

$80 8.5% 8.5% $7.4

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Rayong

$7.1 * 0.8% 91.8% $80

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 $419 in Rayong. 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 84% 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 $18.00 in Rayong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $263 – making Rayong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Rayong

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

16:53 4:53 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

63,565

💱 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 = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.4 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Rayong 17,380 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Rayong

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 Rayong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $940 in Rayong – roughly 96% 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 $1,410 in Rayong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rayong, 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 $18.00 in Rayong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rayong, where all-in costs run around $940, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Rayong 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 $940 in Rayong 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 Rayong. 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.