Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Thung Song

For one person, living is cheaper in Thung Song: $932 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Thung Song
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Thung Song Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Thung Song

🇹🇭 Thailand

$932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Thung Song

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $932 in Thung Song, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Thung Song $932

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,461 in Thung Song, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Thung Song $1,461

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,991 in Thung Song, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Thung Song $1,991

Nosara costs about 97% more than Thung Song, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Thung Song is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$4.59 ฿154

168.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$17.72 ฿592

246.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$8.66 ฿289

-10.39%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.28 ฿76.3

94.74%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.71 ฿23.66

152.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.29 ฿9.61

344.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.48 ฿82.9

30.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.75 ฿125

18.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.71 ฿57.2

-9.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.39 ฿46.46

121.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.57 ฿52.6

61.15%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.19 ฿73.4

57.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$19.23 ฿643

-61.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$3.47 ฿116

195.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$11.15 ฿373

26.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.93 ฿98.1

-21.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.69 ฿56.5

-2.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$0.68 ฿22.74

604.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.09 ฿69.7

-21.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.53 ฿51.2

151.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.33 ฿44.31

181.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.08 ฿35.94

0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.52 ฿17.29

398.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$4.39 ฿147

16.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$18.89 ฿631

5.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.82 ฿60.8

53.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.26 ฿75.6

55.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.94 ฿31.56

29.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$2.29 ฿76.6

-5.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.06 ฿35.40

47.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$3.77 ฿126

129.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.07 ฿35.83

44.86%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$27.1K ฿905.7K

27.48%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$26.5K ฿884.7K

46.37%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$29.65 ฿991

219.80%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$5.84 ฿195

519.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$13.92 ฿465

281.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$42.26 ฿1,412

74.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$13.81 ฿462

158.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.57 ฿253

4.49%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$550 ฿18.4K

-10.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.5K ฿384.2K

3.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$26.68 ฿892

105.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$18.16 ฿607

207.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$96.5 ฿3,224

-16.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$87.8 ฿2,934

-11.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$369 ฿12.3K

117.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$335 ฿11.2K

135.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,049 ฿35.1K

281.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$654 ฿21.9K

115.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$2,039 ฿68.1K

246.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,290 ฿43.1K

-4.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

72.40%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Thung Song: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Thung Song

$335 36% 57.6% $455

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Thung Song

$262 28.1% 25.2% $88

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Thung Song

$114 12.2% 46.4% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Thung Song

$49 5.3% 73.2% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Thung Song

$103 11.1% 14.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Thung Song

$57 6.2% 36% $32

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Thung Song

$11 * 1.2% 87.2% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $369 in Thung Song. 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 Thung Song. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $262 – making Thung Song the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Thung Song

🕒 Local time

16:06 4:06 PM

05:06 5:06 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

29,232

💱 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 Thung Song 17,910 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Thung Song

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 Thung Song: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $932 in Thung Song – roughly 97% 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 $1,398 in Thung Song. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thung Song, 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 $18.00 in Thung Song. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Thung Song, where all-in costs run around $932, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Thung Song 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 $932 in Thung Song 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 Thung Song. 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.