Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Samut Sakhon

For one person, living is cheaper in Samut Sakhon: $923 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Samut Sakhon
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Samut Sakhon Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Samut Sakhon

🇹🇭 Thailand

$923

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Samut Sakhon

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $923 in Samut Sakhon, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Samut Sakhon $923

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,452 in Samut Sakhon, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Samut Sakhon $1,452

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,981 in Samut Sakhon, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Samut Sakhon $1,981

Nosara costs about 99% more than Samut Sakhon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Samut Sakhon is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$1.81 ฿60.3

581.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$17.81 ฿595

244.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$5.93 ฿198

30.86%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.21 ฿40.53

266.94%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.35 ฿11.66

411.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.29 ฿9.67

344.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.90 ฿63.5

70.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.66 ฿88.8

66.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.78 ฿59.5

-12.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.48 ฿49.60

108.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.39 ฿46.57

82.01%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.21 ฿73.9

56.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$15.64 ฿523

-53.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$2.61 ฿87.2

292.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$10.27 ฿343

37.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$3.40 ฿114

-32.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.21 ฿40.32

35.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.85 ฿61.9

158.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.98 ฿66.1

-17.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.24 ฿41.31

210.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.04 ฿34.69

260.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.21 ฿40.34

-9.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.44 ฿14.81

488.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$4.23 ฿141

21.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$17.79 ฿594

11.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.77 ฿59.2

58.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$3.01 ฿101

16.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.39 ฿12.90

212.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.03 ฿34.38

110.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.13 ฿37.79

38.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$3.50 ฿117

147.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.20 ฿40.27

29.17%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$44.9K ฿1.5M

-23.06%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$26.3K ฿878.9K

47.34%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$93.8 ฿3,134

1.11%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$11.39 ฿381

217.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$19.13 ฿639

177.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$47.02 ฿1,571

56.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$11.47 ฿383

210.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.41 ฿248

6.75%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$622 ฿20.8K

-21.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$14.4K ฿480.0K

-17.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$51.0 ฿1,703

7.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$29.36 ฿981

90.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$95.7 ฿3,200

-16.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$77.2 ฿2,580

0.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$486 ฿16.2K

64.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$304 ฿10.2K

159.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,148 ฿38.4K

248.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$678 ฿22.7K

107.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$2,180 ฿72.9K

224.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,504 ฿50.3K

-17.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.96

44.63%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Samut Sakhon: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Samut Sakhon

$304 33% 61.4% $485

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Samut Sakhon

$246 26.6% 29.7% $104

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Samut Sakhon

$64 7% 69.8% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Samut Sakhon

$124 13.5% 32.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Samut Sakhon

$114 12.4% 5.8% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Samut Sakhon

$62 6.7% 31% $28

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Samut Sakhon

$8.2 * 0.9% 90.7% $81

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 $486 in Samut Sakhon. 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 $18.00 in Samut Sakhon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $246 – making Samut Sakhon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Samut Sakhon

🕒 Local time

15:50 3:50 PM

04:50 4:50 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

67,515

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Samut Sakhon 17,320 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Samut Sakhon

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 Samut Sakhon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $923 in Samut Sakhon – roughly 99% 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 $1,384 in Samut Sakhon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 42% 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 Samut Sakhon, where all-in costs run around $923, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Samut Sakhon 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 $923 in Samut Sakhon 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 Samut Sakhon. 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.