Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pak Kret and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Pak Kret: $934 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Pak Kret
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Pak Kret Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Pak Kret

🇹🇭 Thailand

$934

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pak Kret and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pak Kret and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $934 per month in Pak Kret vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Pak Kret $934
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,556 per month in Pak Kret vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Pak Kret $1,556
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,178 per month in Pak Kret vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Pak Kret $2,178
Nosara $3,818

Pak Kret is about 49% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Pak Kret sits 31% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.94 ฿98.4

$12.35 ₡5,539

-76.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.19 ฿1,209

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-40.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.92 ฿231

$7.52 ₡3,373

-7.98%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ฿67.6

$4.41 ₡1,978

-54.20%

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

$0.67 ฿22.45

$1.74 ₡780

-61.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿9.95

$1.31 ₡587

-77.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.6

$3.28 ₡1,471

-26.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ฿88.1

$4.47 ₡2,004

-41.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ฿59.4

$1.56 ₡701

14.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.15

$3.02 ₡1,355

-51.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ฿46.72

$2.51 ₡1,125

-44.22%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿73.9

$3.57 ₡1,603

-38.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.53 ฿519

$7.43 ₡3,333

109.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.54 ฿84.9

$10.52 ₡4,717

-75.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.01 ฿334

$13.97 ₡6,265

-28.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 ฿116

$2.35 ₡1,052

48.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ฿40.17

$1.61 ₡720

-25.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 ฿61.1

$4.80 ₡2,152

-61.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 ฿62.4

$1.61 ₡724

16.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ฿40.02

$3.80 ₡1,703

-68.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.80

$3.69 ₡1,657

-71.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ฿42.67

$1.13 ₡507

13.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.91

$2.66 ₡1,191

-81.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿146

$5.18 ₡2,321

-15.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 ฿499

$19.88 ₡8,916

-24.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$3.63 ₡1,626

-20.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ฿30.22

$1.12 ₡504

-19.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ฿35.47

$2.14 ₡958

-50.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 ฿37.11

$1.57 ₡703

-29.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 ฿122

$8.52 ₡3,823

-57.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ฿47.49

$1.52 ₡682

-6.58%

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

$31.0K ฿1.0M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

43.61%

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

$26.7K ฿892.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-22.63%

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

$93.5 ฿3,125

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-2.89%

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

$11.46 ฿383

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-68.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.10 ฿605

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-66.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.70 ฿1,561

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-34.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.31 ฿478

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-59.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 ฿255

$7.89 ₡3,539

-3.42%

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

$566 ฿18.9K

$494 ₡221.6K

14.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿482.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

21.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 ฿1,705

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-5.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.65 ฿991

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-46.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,152

$77.9 ₡34.9K

21.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.6 ฿2,561

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-3.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 ฿15.1K

$788 ₡353.4K

-42.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,947

$794 ₡356.2K

-62.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 ฿46.4K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-64.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$740 ฿24.7K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-47.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,924 ฿64.3K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-72.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,553 ฿51.9K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

26.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

8.62

-39.10%

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

Last update for Pak Kret: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pak Kret

$298 31.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 167% $497

Groceries & Markets

Pak Kret

$238 25.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 48% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pak Kret

$123 13.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 50.9% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Pak Kret

$113 12.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 6.1% $6.9

Eating Out

Pak Kret

$90 9.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 136% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Pak Kret

$62 6.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 41.1% $25

Getting Around

Pak Kret

$10 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 752% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $451 in Pak Kret versus $788 in Nosara. 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 $36.00 in Pak Kret versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $352 – making Pak Kret the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Pak Kret

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

12:11 12:11 PM

13 h behind Pak Kret

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,272

4,912

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pak Kret Nosara 17,270 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Pak Kret
Nosara

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

Pak Kret vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $934 in Pak Kret, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 97% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,401 per month in Pak Kret and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pak Kret, 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 $36.00 in Pak Kret and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% 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 Pak Kret, where all-in costs run around $934, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Pak Kret 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 $934 in Pak Kret 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 Pak Kret. 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.