Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ta Khmau

For one person, living is cheaper in Ta Khmau: $510 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Ta Khmau
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Ta Khmau Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Ta Khmau

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ta Khmau

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $510 in Ta Khmau, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Ta Khmau $510

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $807 in Ta Khmau, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Ta Khmau $807

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,105 in Ta Khmau, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Ta Khmau $1,105

Nosara costs about 261% more than Ta Khmau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Ta Khmau is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.52 ៛10.2K

390.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$23.81 ៛96.7K

156.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.82 ៛27.7K

10.26%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.62 ៛6,589

172.22%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.72 ៛2,926

141.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.42 ៛1,721

211.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.02 ៛4,157

221.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.99 ៛8,064

124.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.21 ៛8,972

-29.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.59 ៛6,475

89.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.87 ៛3,514

188.51%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.68 ៛6,832

112.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$15.22 ៛61.8K

-51.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.94 ៛11.9K

257.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.26 ៛37.6K

50.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.88 ៛15.8K

-39.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.26 ៛5,128

27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.74 ៛15.2K

28.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.04 ៛4,224

54.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.27 ៛5,165

199.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.12 ៛4,565

229.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.20 ៛4,872

-5.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.72 ៛2,923

269.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.40 ៛5,675

270.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.72 ៛31.4K

157.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.94 ៛3,824

208.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.76 ៛7,133

106.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.09 ៛4,447

96.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.98 ៛3,991

60.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$5.12 ៛20.8K

66.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.30 ៛5,274

16.92%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$24.8K ៛100.6M

-12.75%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$22.4K ៛91.0M

54.04%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$103 ៛419.1K

-6.66%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$5.61 ៛22.8K

539.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$15.50 ៛63.0K

245.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.92 ៛20.0K

60.37%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$275 ៛1.1M

79.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,370 ៛17.8M

171.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$26.75 ៛108.7K

101.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$13.26 ៛53.8K

317.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$68.0 ៛276.4K

14.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$45.39 ៛184.4K

75.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Ta Khmau: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Ta Khmau

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Ta Khmau

$227 44.5% 35.7% $126

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Ta Khmau

$74 14.5% 65.2% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Ta Khmau

$124 24.4% 33.1% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Ta Khmau

$69 13.6% 42.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ta Khmau

$9.8 * 1.9% 88.7% $78

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Ta Khmau

$6 * 1.2% 93.1% $81

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $24.00 in Ta Khmau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $227 – making Ta Khmau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇭 Ta Khmau

🕒 Local time

23:07 11:07 PM

12:07 12:07 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

52,066

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Ta Khmau 17,360 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ta Khmau

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 Ta Khmau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $510 in Ta Khmau – roughly 261% 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 $764 in Ta Khmau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $24.00 in Ta Khmau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% 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 Ta Khmau, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ta Khmau 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 $510 in Ta Khmau 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 Ta Khmau. 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.