Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Thimphu

For one person, living is cheaper in Thimphu: $510 a month against $1,837 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 Thimphu
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Thimphu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Thimphu

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $510 in Thimphu, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Thimphu $510

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $799 in Thimphu, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Thimphu $799

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,088 in Thimphu, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Thimphu $1,088

Nosara costs about 261% more than Thimphu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Thimphu is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$2.56 BTN 248

377.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$14.16 BTN 1,371

325.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$4.89 BTN 474

54.19%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.31 BTN 127

229.01%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.49 BTN 47.08

251.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.17 BTN 16.46

694.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.55 BTN 247

27.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$1.60 BTN 155

180.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.77 BTN 74.7

103.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.06 BTN 102

199.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.03 BTN 100

134.95%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.84 BTN 179

94.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$3.69 BTN 357

101.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.01 BTN 388

159.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$4.01 BTN 389

240.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.51 BTN 243

-7.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.56 BTN 151

3.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.57 BTN 152

201.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.71 BTN 68.6

133.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.56 BTN 54.2

564.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.70 BTN 68.3

410.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.39 BTN 37.98

182.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.31 BTN 30.20

722.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$3.81 BTN 369

29.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$2.91 BTN 282

587.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$0.62 BTN 60.5

350.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.31 BTN 127

169.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.76 BTN 73.5

56.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$5.18 BTN 502

1291.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.75 BTN 72.6

198.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.52 BTN 147

1.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$0.16 BTN 15.50

5437.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.76 BTN 73.3

106.58%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$16.8K BTN 1.6M

30.15%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$15.0K BTN 1.5M

130.17%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$34.28 BTN 3,319

172.61%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$35.89 BTN 3,475

-2.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$24.76 BTN 2,398

107.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$46.99 BTN 4,550

51.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$7.41 BTN 718

378.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$3.17 BTN 307

147.32%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$45.87 BTN 4,442

967.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$576 BTN 55.7K

1963.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$50.3 BTN 4,872

6.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$25.08 BTN 2,429

122.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$67.8 BTN 6,566

16.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$14.29 BTN 1,383

451.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$126 BTN 12.2K

522.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$86.0 BTN 8,324

807.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$187 BTN 18.1K

1959.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$156 BTN 15.1K

800.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$6,543 BTN 633.6K

6.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$384 BTN 37.2K

212.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$351 BTN 34.0K

149.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Thimphu: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Thimphu

$86 16.7% 89% $694

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Thimphu

$125 24.2% 64.3% $225

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Thimphu

$69 13.5% 66.8% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Thimphu

$95 18.4% 47.3% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Thimphu

$71 13.7% 41.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Thimphu

$53 10.3% 38.7% $34

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Thimphu

$17 3.2% 80.9% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $126 in Thimphu. 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 149% 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $14.00 in Thimphu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $125 – making Thimphu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

11:06 11:06 AM

12 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

98,676 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.33 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.83 BTN (100 BTN = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.21 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Thimphu 15,820 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Thimphu

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 Thimphu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $510 in Thimphu – roughly 261% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $764 in Thimphu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 1291% less in Thimphu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $45.87 in Thimphu. 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 Thimphu, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Thimphu 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 Thimphu to $1,837 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 Thimphu. 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.