Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phan Thiet and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Phan Thiet: $647 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Phan Thiet
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Phan Thiet Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Phan Thiet

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$647

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phan Thiet 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 Phan Thiet and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $647 per month in Phan Thiet vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Phan Thiet $647
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,070 per month in Phan Thiet vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Phan Thiet $1,070
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,493 per month in Phan Thiet vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Phan Thiet $1,493
Nosara $3,818

Phan Thiet is about 65% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phan Thiet sits 52% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.71 ₫70.3K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-78.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₫603.9K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-61.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.46 ₫115.4K

$7.52 ₡3,373

-40.69%

Cappuccino

$0.59 ₫15.4K

$4.41 ₡1,978

-86.62%

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

$0.40 ₫10.2K

$1.74 ₡780

-77.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 ₫5,436

$1.31 ₡587

-83.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.64 ₫16.5K

$3.28 ₡1,471

-80.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₫32.4K

$4.47 ₡2,004

-72.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 ₫34.0K

$1.56 ₡701

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.38 ₫9,834

$3.02 ₡1,355

-87.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ₫23.6K

$2.51 ₡1,125

-63.75%

Eggs

$1.14 ₫29.5K

$3.57 ₡1,603

-68.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 ₫309.3K

$7.43 ₡3,333

60.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.05 ₫78.9K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-71.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.66 ₫224.2K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-38.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₫49.2K

$2.35 ₡1,052

-19.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 ₫21.3K

$1.61 ₡720

-49.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$4.80 ₡2,152

-77.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.7K

$1.61 ₡724

-26.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₫20.0K

$3.80 ₡1,703

-79.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₫17.3K

$3.69 ₡1,657

-81.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ₫15.3K

$1.13 ₡507

-47.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₫13.1K

$2.66 ₡1,191

-80.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.51 ₫39.1K

$5.18 ₡2,321

-70.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.43 ₫244.2K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-52.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 ₫9,708

$2.90 ₡1,300

-87.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₫40.9K

$3.63 ₡1,626

-56.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ₫7,633

$1.12 ₡504

-74.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.85 ₫151.6K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-91.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 ₫15.4K

$2.14 ₡958

-72.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₫15.6K

$1.57 ₡703

-61.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 ₫70.0K

$8.52 ₡3,823

-68.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 ₫22.0K

$1.52 ₡682

-44.08%

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

$30.3K ₫785.1M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

40.33%

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

$27.6K ₫713.7M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.14%

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

$44.46 ₫1.2M

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-53.83%

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

$6.64 ₫171.9K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-81.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 ₫237.8K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-82.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.09 ₫623.6K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-66.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.87 ₫203.7K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-77.46%

Cinema Ticket

$1.99 ₫51.4K

$7.89 ₡3,539

-74.78%

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

$214 ₫5.6M

$494 ₡221.6K

-56.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,808 ₫98.6M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-67.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.86 ₫591.8K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-57.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.30 ₫603.1K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-57.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.44 ₫995.1K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-50.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.7 ₫1.5M

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-27.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$355 ₫9.2M

$788 ₡353.4K

-55.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 ₫7.0M

$794 ₡356.2K

-65.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ₫19.6M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-80.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 ₫15.7M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-57.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,829 ₫73.2M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-59.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,195 ₫30.9M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-2.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.46

8.62

-1.86%

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

Last update for Phan Thiet: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phan Thiet

$271 41.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 193% $524

Groceries & Markets

Phan Thiet

$163 25.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 116% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Phan Thiet

$64 9.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 87.6% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phan Thiet

$60 9.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 208% $125

Eating Out

Phan Thiet

$50 7.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 321% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Phan Thiet

$28 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 211% $59

Getting Around

Phan Thiet

$11 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 718% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $355 in Phan Thiet 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 $23.00 in Phan Thiet versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $163 vs $352 – making Phan Thiet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Phan Thiet

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

02:17 2:17 AM

13 h behind Phan Thiet

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

255,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phan Thiet Nosara 17,240 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phan Thiet
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

Phan Thiet vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $647 in Phan Thiet, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 184% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Phan Thiet 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 Phan Thiet, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 1142% less in Phan Thiet. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $214 per month in Phan Thiet and $494 in Nosara. 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 Phan Thiet, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Phan Thiet 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 $647 in Phan Thiet 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 Phan Thiet. 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.