Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Yala

For one person, living is cheaper in Yala: $895 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Yala
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Yala Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Yala

🇹🇭 Thailand

$895

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Yala

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $895 in Yala, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Yala $895

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,487 in Yala, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Yala $1,487

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,079 in Yala, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Yala $2,079

Nosara costs about 105% more than Yala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Yala is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$1.51 ฿50.3

717.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$24.70 ฿825

148.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$6.73 ฿225

15.30%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.92 ฿64.0

131.25%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.56 ฿18.76

219.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.16 ฿5.42

706.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.90 ฿63.4

70.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.30 ฿110

34.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.54 ฿51.3

0.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.22 ฿40.90

152.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.33 ฿44.51

90.23%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.79 ฿59.7

92.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$18.29 ฿611

-59.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$2.96 ฿98.8

245.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$9.26 ฿309

52.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$3.02 ฿101

-24.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.14 ฿37.97

43.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.09 ฿69.7

129.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.95 ฿65.3

-15.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.57 ฿52.3

145.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.97 ฿32.44

286.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.17 ฿39.17

-6.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.53 ฿17.62

388.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$4.87 ฿163

5.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$16.33 ฿546

21.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.64 ฿54.8

70.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.58 ฿86.2

36.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.61 ฿20.44

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.12 ฿37.42

93.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.31 ฿43.70

19.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$6.43 ฿215

34.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.42 ฿47.43

9.15%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.5K ฿887.0K

30.16%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$26.5K ฿887.1K

45.98%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$85.4 ฿2,853

11.07%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$11.99 ฿401

201.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$19.46 ฿650

172.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$44.07 ฿1,473

67.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$13.69 ฿458

160.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$6.63 ฿222

19.31%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$589 ฿19.7K

-16.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.3K ฿376.2K

5.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$45.88 ฿1,533

19.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$32.27 ฿1,079

73.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$77.6 ฿2,592

3.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$80.9 ฿2,704

-3.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$475 ฿15.9K

68.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$289 ฿9,662

173.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,169 ฿39.1K

242.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$759 ฿25.4K

85.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,762 ฿58.9K

301.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,405 ฿46.9K

-12.01%

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 Yala: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Yala

$289 32.3% 63.4% $500

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Yala

$241 26.9% 31% $108

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Yala

$74 8.3% 65.1% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Yala

$117 13.1% 36.5% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Yala

$106 11.9% 12% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Yala

$57 6.4% 36% $32

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Yala

$10 * 1.1% 88.6% $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 $475 in Yala. 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 $25.00 in Yala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $241 – making Yala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇭 Yala

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

23:02 11:02 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

60,617

💱 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 Yala 18,020 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Yala

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 Yala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $895 in Yala – roughly 105% 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 $1,343 in Yala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yala, 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 $25.00 in Yala. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% 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 Yala, where all-in costs run around $895, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Yala 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 $895 in Yala 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 Yala. 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.