Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Trang

For one person, living is cheaper in Trang: $954 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Trang
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Trang Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Trang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$954

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Trang

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $954 in Trang, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Trang $954

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,554 in Trang, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Trang $1,554

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,155 in Trang, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Trang $2,155

Nosara costs about 92% more than Trang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Trang is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$1.76 ฿59.0

601.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$22.60 ฿755

171.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$8.74 ฿292

-11.21%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.72 ฿91.1

63.24%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.90 ฿29.97

98.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.46 ฿15.49

180.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.60 ฿86.9

24.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.74 ฿125

18.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.67 ฿55.9

-7.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.22 ฿40.90

152.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.05 ฿35.13

140.95%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.03 ฿67.8

69.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$11.30 ฿378

-35.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$3.40 ฿114

201.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$10.94 ฿366

28.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.98 ฿99.5

-23.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.63 ฿54.3

0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.19 ฿73.3

118.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.13 ฿71.1

-23.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.42 ฿47.33

171.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.17 ฿39.25

220.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.06 ฿35.57

2.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.51 ฿17.05

407.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$4.40 ฿147

16.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$18.50 ฿618

7.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.77 ฿59.1

58.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.80 ฿93.7

25.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.88 ฿29.39

38.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.18 ฿39.56

83.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.07 ฿35.62

45.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$3.82 ฿128

126.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.12 ฿37.42

38.39%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$27.1K ฿904.2K

27.70%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$27.3K ฿912.7K

41.88%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$97.0 ฿3,240

-2.21%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$11.28 ฿377

220.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$17.26 ฿577

207.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$41.56 ฿1,389

77.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$11.70 ฿391

204.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.62 ฿255

3.81%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$567 ฿18.9K

-13.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.7K ฿391.0K

1.58%

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

$28.51 ฿953

96.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$95.7 ฿3,197

-16.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$88.5 ฿2,959

-12.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$413 ฿13.8K

93.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$301 ฿10.1K

162.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,146 ฿38.3K

249.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$764 ฿25.5K

84.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,908 ฿63.8K

270.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,532 ฿51.2K

-19.35%

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 Trang: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Trang

$301 31.6% 61.8% $488

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Trang

$237 24.9% 32.1% $112

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Trang

$99 10.4% 53.5% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Trang

$126 13.2% 31.8% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Trang

$124 13% 2.1% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Trang

$57 6% 36.6% $33

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Trang

$10 * 1.1% 88.7% $79

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 $413 in Trang. 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 $23.00 in Trang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $237 – making Trang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Trang

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

04:44 4:44 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

59,304

💱 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 Trang 17,980 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Trang

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 Trang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $954 in Trang – roughly 92% 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 $1,431 in Trang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Trang, 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 $23.00 in Trang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Trang, where all-in costs run around $954, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Trang 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 $954 in Trang 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 Trang. 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.