Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sihanoukville

For one person, living is cheaper in Sihanoukville: $928 a month against $1,839 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Sihanoukville
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Sihanoukville Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Sihanoukville

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$928

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sihanoukville

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $928 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Sihanoukville $928

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,395 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Sihanoukville $1,395

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,862 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Sihanoukville $1,862

Nosara costs about 98% more than Sihanoukville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Sihanoukville is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,547

$3.94 ៛16.0K

213.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$30.25 ៛122.7K

102.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,377

$7.19 ៛29.2K

4.59%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,981

$2.30 ៛9,344

91.74%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$0.78 ៛3,171

123.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.42 ៛1,704

211.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,473

$1.02 ៛4,130

221.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,007

$2.02 ៛8,208

121.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$2.11 ៛8,555

-26.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,357

$1.59 ៛6,463

89.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$0.87 ៛3,513

188.51%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$1.71 ៛6,932

108.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,338

$13.87 ៛56.3K

-46.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,724

$4.10 ៛16.6K

156.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,274

$8.78 ៛35.6K

59.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$3.59 ៛14.6K

-34.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.38 ៛5,591

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,155

$4.25 ៛17.2K

12.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.61 ៛6,540

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$1.35 ៛5,465

181.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,659

$1.15 ៛4,647

220.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.19 ៛4,816

-5.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.73 ៛2,946

264.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,324

$1.46 ៛5,938

254.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,929

$11.16 ៛45.3K

78.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$0.90 ៛3,669

222.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,628

$1.65 ៛6,713

120.00%

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

$1.09 ៛4,428

96.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.03 ៛4,177

52.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,828

$5.19 ៛21.0K

64.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.25 ៛5,053

21.60%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$34.3K ៛139.2M

-37.04%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$43.5K ៛176.5M

-20.65%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$106 ៛431.0K

-9.38%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$6.46 ៛26.2K

455.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$18.99 ៛77.0K

182.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$72.2 ៛292.7K

-0.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$10.11 ៛41.0K

245.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,544

$5.09 ៛20.6K

55.01%

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

$494 ₡221.9K

$339 ៛1.4M

45.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,096 ៛20.7M

132.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$28.55 ៛115.8K

88.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$20.14 ៛81.7K

175.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$89.5 ៛363.2K

-12.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$20.29 ៛82.3K

292.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.9K

$407 ៛1.6M

93.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.7K

$304 ៛1.2M

160.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$643 ៛2.6M

512.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.4K

$492 ៛2.0M

188.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.07

6.82%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sihanoukville: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Sihanoukville

$304 32.8% 61.7% $490

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Sihanoukville

$237 25.6% 32.7% $115

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Sihanoukville

$95 10.2% 55.3% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Sihanoukville

$132 14.2% 29.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Sihanoukville

$71 7.7% 40.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sihanoukville

$82 8.9% 5.8% $5

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Sihanoukville

$6.2 * 0.7% 92.8% $81

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 $407 in Sihanoukville. 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 $30.00 in Sihanoukville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $237 – making Sihanoukville the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇭 Sihanoukville

🕒 Local time

14:22 2:22 PM

03:22 3:22 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

73,036

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 4,056 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,545 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Sihanoukville 17,510 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sihanoukville

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 Sihanoukville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $928 in Sihanoukville – roughly 98% 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 $1,392 in Sihanoukville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sihanoukville, 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 $30.00 in Sihanoukville. 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sihanoukville, where all-in costs run around $928, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sihanoukville 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 $928 in Sihanoukville 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 Sihanoukville. 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.