Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ratchaburi and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratchaburi: $944 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Ratchaburi
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Ratchaburi Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ratchaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$944

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $944 per month in Ratchaburi vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Ratchaburi $944
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,573 per month in Ratchaburi vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Ratchaburi $1,573
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,202 per month in Ratchaburi vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Ratchaburi $2,202
Nosara $3,818

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

Ratchaburi sits 30% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 ฿120

$12.35 ₡5,539

-70.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.96 ฿1,202

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-41.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.10 ฿304

$7.52 ₡3,373

21.01%

Cappuccino

$2.04 ฿68.1

$4.41 ₡1,978

-53.74%

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

$0.74 ฿24.78

$1.74 ₡780

-57.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿9.93

$1.31 ₡587

-77.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 ฿77.2

$3.28 ₡1,471

-29.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ฿88.8

$4.47 ₡2,004

-40.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ฿59.6

$1.56 ₡701

14.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿47.98

$3.02 ₡1,355

-52.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.38

$2.51 ₡1,125

-44.62%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿74.1

$3.57 ₡1,603

-37.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.32 ฿512

$7.43 ₡3,333

106.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.56 ฿85.7

$10.52 ₡4,717

-75.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 ฿334

$13.97 ₡6,265

-28.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 ฿116

$2.35 ₡1,052

48.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.35

$1.61 ₡720

-24.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ฿64.1

$4.80 ₡2,152

-60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 ฿63.8

$1.61 ₡724

18.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ฿40.07

$3.80 ₡1,703

-68.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.40

$3.69 ₡1,657

-70.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ฿40.84

$1.13 ₡507

7.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿14.99

$2.66 ₡1,191

-83.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 ฿144

$5.18 ₡2,321

-16.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.87 ฿597

$19.88 ₡8,916

-10.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿58.8

$2.90 ₡1,300

-39.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ฿96.8

$3.63 ₡1,626

-20.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 ฿30.82

$1.12 ₡504

-17.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ฿46.08

$2.14 ₡958

-35.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 ฿37.58

$1.57 ₡703

-28.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ฿120

$8.52 ₡3,823

-57.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ฿50.4

$1.52 ₡682

-0.66%

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

$46.1K ฿1.5M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

113.44%

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

$26.9K ฿899.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-22.07%

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

$90.9 ฿3,037

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-5.63%

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

$11.58 ฿387

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-67.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.18 ฿641

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-64.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.61 ฿1,558

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-34.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.27 ฿477

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-59.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 ฿250

$7.89 ₡3,539

-5.07%

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

$628 ฿21.0K

$494 ₡221.6K

27.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K ฿477.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

20.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 ฿1,686

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-6.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.47 ฿985

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-46.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 ฿3,138

$77.9 ₡34.9K

20.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.8 ฿2,501

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-6.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$441 ฿14.7K

$788 ₡353.4K

-44.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 ฿9,777

$794 ₡356.2K

-63.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 ฿46.3K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-64.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-48.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,969 ฿65.8K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-71.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,584 ฿52.9K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

29.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

8.62

-30.86%

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

Last update for Ratchaburi: 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

Ratchaburi

$293 31%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 172% $502

Groceries & Markets

Ratchaburi

$244 25.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 44.6% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ratchaburi

$122 12.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 52.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Ratchaburi

$112 11.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 7.3% $8.2

Eating Out

Ratchaburi

$102 10.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 109% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Ratchaburi

$62 6.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 41.9% $26

Getting Around

Ratchaburi

$11 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 715% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $441 in Ratchaburi 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 Ratchaburi versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $352 – making Ratchaburi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Ratchaburi

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

12:51 12:51 PM

13 h behind Ratchaburi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,208

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

Ratchaburi Nosara 17,330 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Ratchaburi
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

Ratchaburi vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $944 in Ratchaburi, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 95% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,415 per month in Ratchaburi 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 Ratchaburi, 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 Ratchaburi 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 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 Ratchaburi, where all-in costs run around $944, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ratchaburi 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 $944 in Ratchaburi 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 Ratchaburi. 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.