Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Surat Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Surat Thani

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $775 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Surat Thani $775

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,414 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Surat Thani $1,414

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,053 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Surat Thani $2,053

Nosara costs about 137% more than Surat Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Surat Thani is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$1.89 ฿63.0

552.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$17.87 ฿597

243.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$4.51 ฿151

72.06%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.50 ฿50.2

196.00%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.50 ฿16.68

258.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.29 ฿9.66

344.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.56 ฿85.4

26.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.69 ฿123

20.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.66 ฿55.4

-6.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.19 ฿39.89

158.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.17 ฿39.13

116.24%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.87 ฿62.4

84.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$19.18 ฿641

-61.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$3.33 ฿111

207.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$7.44 ฿249

89.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.91 ฿97.2

-21.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.68 ฿56.3

-2.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.76 ฿58.7

172.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.05 ฿68.4

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.30 ฿43.57

196.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.37 ฿45.90

173.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.11 ฿37.24

-1.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.41 ฿13.66

531.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.07 ฿103

66.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$18.86 ฿630

5.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.54 ฿51.6

81.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.82 ฿60.7

93.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.02 ฿34.00

19.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$20.95 ฿700

252.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.18 ฿39.50

83.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.63 ฿21.05

147.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$3.49 ฿117

148.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.16 ฿38.93

33.62%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.6K ฿890.1K

29.72%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$27.3K ฿911.7K

42.04%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$72.9 ฿2,437

30.03%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$11.12 ฿372

225.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$17.32 ฿579

206.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$48.24 ฿1,612

52.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$11.52 ฿385

209.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$4.53 ฿151

74.61%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$549 ฿18.3K

-10.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.6K ฿386.5K

2.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$61.9 ฿2,070

-11.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$29.16 ฿974

91.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$97.3 ฿3,252

-17.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$86.5 ฿2,892

-10.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$237 ฿7,910

238.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$149 ฿4,985

429.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,150 ฿38.4K

248.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$709 ฿23.7K

98.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$2,226 ฿74.4K

217.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,404 ฿46.9K

-11.95%

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 Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Surat Thani

$149 19.3% 81.1% $640

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Surat Thani

$244 31.5% 30.2% $105

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Surat Thani

$70 9% 67.1% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Surat Thani

$101 13.1% 44.9% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Surat Thani

$124 16% 2.2% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Surat Thani

$57 7.4% 36.1% $32

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Surat Thani

$29 3.8% 66.9% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $237 in Surat Thani. 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 Surat Thani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $244 – making Surat Thani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

23:05 11:05 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

132,040

💱 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 Surat Thani 17,820 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Surat Thani

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 Surat Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $775 in Surat Thani – roughly 137% 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 $1,163 in Surat Thani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 253% less in Surat Thani. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $549 in Surat Thani. 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 Surat Thani, where all-in costs run around $775, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Surat Thani 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 $775 in Surat Thani 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 Surat Thani. 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.