Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ranong and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ranong: $976 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Ranong
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Ranong Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ranong

🇹🇭 Thailand

$976

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $976 per month in Ranong vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Ranong $976
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,650 per month in Ranong vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Ranong $1,650
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,324 per month in Ranong vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Ranong $2,324
Nosara $3,814

Ranong is about 47% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ranong sits 28% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.36 ฿146

$12.34 ₡5,535

-64.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.07 ฿1,072

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-47.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 ฿283

$7.76 ₡3,481

9.02%

Cappuccino

$2.74 ฿91.5

$4.44 ₡1,992

-38.29%

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

$0.96 ฿31.98

$1.79 ₡803

-46.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.59

$1.29 ₡580

-61.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.3

$3.24 ₡1,451

-21.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 ฿126

$4.43 ₡1,985

-15.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.55 ₡696

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿48.98

$3.08 ₡1,380

-52.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.6

$2.53 ₡1,133

-39.92%

Eggs

$2.20 ฿73.4

$3.45 ₡1,546

-36.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿657

$7.32 ₡3,284

168.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$10.24 ₡4,594

-67.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.09 ฿371

$14.10 ₡6,326

-21.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$2.29 ₡1,027

28.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿54.9

$1.64 ₡737

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ฿75.7

$4.79 ₡2,149

-52.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.2

$1.64 ₡735

26.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$3.85 ₡1,727

-61.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.78

$3.75 ₡1,681

-65.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.35

$1.09 ₡488

-2.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$2.59 ₡1,160

-80.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 ฿149

$5.12 ₡2,295

-12.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.42 ฿616

$19.92 ₡8,931

-7.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$2.80 ₡1,255

-35.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿92.1

$3.52 ₡1,580

-21.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 ฿26.38

$1.22 ₡549

-35.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.34

$2.17 ₡973

-44.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 ฿35.76

$1.56 ₡698

-31.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 ฿127

$8.67 ₡3,886

-56.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿49.36

$1.55 ₡697

-4.52%

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

$26.4K ฿883.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-23.48%

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

$26.4K ฿881.7K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-31.92%

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

$99.5 ฿3,324

$94.8 ₡42.5K

4.89%

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

$11.07 ฿370

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-69.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.26 ฿577

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-67.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.35 ฿1,449

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-41.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 ฿414

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-65.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$7.91 ₡3,548

-3.29%

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

$548 ฿18.3K

$490 ₡219.9K

11.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ฿382.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-3.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 ฿2,147

$54.8 ₡24.6K

17.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.31 ฿946

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-49.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 ฿3,203

$80.4 ₡36.0K

19.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 ฿2,993

$77.9 ₡34.9K

15.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$467 ฿15.6K

$801 ₡359.1K

-41.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 ฿8,954

$790 ₡354.1K

-66.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 ฿36.1K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-73.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 ฿25.5K

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-45.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,902 ฿63.6K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-73.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,616 ฿54.0K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

30.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.62

-35.38%

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

Last update for Ranong: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ranong

$268 27.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 195% $522

Groceries & Markets

Ranong

$268 27.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 30.6% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ranong

$128 13.1%

Nosara

$184 10% 44% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Ranong

$125 12.8%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 3.3% $4.1

Eating Out

Ranong

$119 12.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 78.5% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Ranong

$59 6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 52.8% $31

Getting Around

Ranong

$9.7 * 1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 814% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $467 in Ranong versus $801 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 $32.00 in Ranong versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $350 – making Ranong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Ranong

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:53 9:53 PM

08:53 8:53 AM

13 h behind Ranong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,163

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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Ranong Nosara 17,750 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Ranong
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

Ranong vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $976 in Ranong, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 88% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,464 per month in Ranong and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ranong, 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 $32.00 in Ranong 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 31% 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 Ranong, where all-in costs run around $976, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Ranong 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 $976 in Ranong 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 Ranong. 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.