Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Songkhla

For one person, living is cheaper in Songkhla: $830 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Songkhla
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Songkhla Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Songkhla

🇹🇭 Thailand

$830

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Songkhla

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $830 in Songkhla, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Songkhla $830

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,335 in Songkhla, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Songkhla $1,335

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,839 in Songkhla, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Songkhla $1,839

Nosara costs about 121% more than Songkhla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Songkhla is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$1.76 ฿58.9

601.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$21.83 ฿730

180.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.68 ฿156

60.68%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.59 ฿53.1

177.36%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.72 ฿24.04

141.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.23 ฿7.64

469.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.81 ฿60.4

81.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.71 ฿157

-5.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.66 ฿55.5

-6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.92 ฿30.78

228.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.66 ฿55.4

51.20%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.42 ฿47.58

151.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$16.51 ฿552

-55.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.71 ฿90.7

288.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.20 ฿341

36.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.98 ฿99.5

-21.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.75 ฿58.6

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.24 ฿74.7

114.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.26 ฿42.09

27.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.41 ฿47.16

169.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.76 ฿58.9

109.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.08 ฿36.02

4.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.89 ฿29.80

198.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.27 ฿143

21.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$13.49 ฿451

47.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.47 ฿49.06

97.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$4.55 ฿152

-20.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.85 ฿28.43

31.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$59.7 ฿1,994

21.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.24 ฿41.36

72.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.82 ฿27.46

91.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$4.80 ฿160

77.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.24 ฿41.33

22.58%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$25.9K ฿867.1K

-16.71%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.6K ฿1.1M

9.26%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$85.8 ฿2,866

12.29%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$12.49 ฿417

187.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$17.69 ฿591

202.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$48.41 ฿1,618

47.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$14.10 ฿471

147.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.02 ฿201

31.06%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$561 ฿18.7K

-11.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.7K ฿356.4K

11.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$50.6 ฿1,689

6.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$28.97 ฿968

91.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$77.1 ฿2,577

1.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$75.4 ฿2,518

5.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$236 ฿7,880

234.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$173 ฿5,782

359.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$568 ฿19.0K

593.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$423 ฿14.1K

235.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,943 ฿64.9K

255.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,605 ฿53.7K

-23.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$806 ฿26.9K

7.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.33

-7.61%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Songkhla: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Songkhla

$173 20.8% 78.2% $621

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Songkhla

$239 28.8% 32.2% $114

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Songkhla

$69 8.4% 67.2% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Songkhla

$116 14% 37.6% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Songkhla

$104 12.6% 13.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Songkhla

$60 7.3% 30.8% $27

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Songkhla

$68 8.2% 21.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $236 in Songkhla. 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 7% 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 $22.00 in Songkhla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $239 – making Songkhla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Songkhla

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

00:25 12:25 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

61,758

💱 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 = 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Songkhla 17,980 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Songkhla

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 Songkhla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $830 in Songkhla – roughly 121% 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 $1,245 in Songkhla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Songkhla, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Songkhla. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $561 in Songkhla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Songkhla, where all-in costs run around $830, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Songkhla 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 $830 in Songkhla 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 Songkhla. 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.