Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sa Pa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sa Pa: $731 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Sa Pa
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Sa Pa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Sa Pa

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$731

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $731 per month in Sa Pa vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Sa Pa $731
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Sa Pa vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Sa Pa $1,170
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,608 per month in Sa Pa vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Sa Pa $1,608
Nosara $3,818

Sa Pa is about 60% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sa Pa sits 46% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ₫48.9K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-84.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.25 ₫550.1K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-65.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ₫116.4K

$7.52 ₡3,373

-40.16%

Cappuccino

$1.70 ₫44.1K

$4.41 ₡1,978

-61.45%

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

$0.47 ₫12.1K

$1.74 ₡780

-72.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,831

$1.31 ₡587

-77.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₫25.1K

$3.28 ₡1,471

-70.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₫41.0K

$4.47 ₡2,004

-64.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ₫35.7K

$1.56 ₡701

-11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₫25.8K

$3.02 ₡1,355

-67.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.5K

$2.51 ₡1,125

-60.56%

Eggs

$1.40 ₫36.2K

$3.57 ₡1,603

-60.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 ₫303.8K

$7.43 ₡3,333

57.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.4K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-65.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ₫260.7K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-27.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ₫71.0K

$2.35 ₡1,052

16.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.6K

$1.61 ₡720

-36.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 ₫35.1K

$4.80 ₡2,152

-71.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₫27.8K

$1.61 ₡724

-33.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.5K

$3.80 ₡1,703

-73.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$3.69 ₡1,657

-71.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₫16.8K

$1.13 ₡507

-42.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₫12.4K

$2.66 ₡1,191

-81.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.38 ₫35.7K

$5.18 ₡2,321

-73.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.61 ₫300.6K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-41.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₫19.4K

$2.90 ₡1,300

-74.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₫41.7K

$3.63 ₡1,626

-55.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ₫8,276

$1.12 ₡504

-71.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.51 ₫168.6K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-91.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$2.14 ₡958

-66.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.0K

$1.57 ₡703

-60.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 ₫73.2K

$8.52 ₡3,823

-66.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₫21.6K

$1.52 ₡682

-45.39%

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

$35.5K ₫920.2M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

64.49%

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

$32.1K ₫829.7M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-7.15%

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

$76.5 ₫2.0M

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-20.52%

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

$5.96 ₫154.3K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-83.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.62 ₫223.1K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-83.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.19 ₫574.5K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-69.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.59 ₫196.5K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-78.26%

Cinema Ticket

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$7.89 ₡3,539

-60.84%

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

$266 ₫6.9M

$494 ₡221.6K

-46.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ₫303.6M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-1.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.21 ₫1.0M

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-25.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.33 ₫603.9K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-57.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 ₫2.2M

$77.9 ₡34.9K

9.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.8 ₫2.0M

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-4.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₫9.4M

$788 ₡353.4K

-53.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₫6.4M

$794 ₡356.2K

-68.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ₫18.9M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 ₫13.8M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-62.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,076 ₫53.7M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-69.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,264 ₫32.7M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

3.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

8.62

5.57%

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

Last update for Sa Pa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sa Pa

$248 33.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 221% $547

Groceries & Markets

Sa Pa

$191 26.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 84% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Sa Pa

$101 13.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 18.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sa Pa

$91 12.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 104% $95

Eating Out

Sa Pa

$60 8.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 252% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Sa Pa

$28 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 208% $59

Getting Around

Sa Pa

$12 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 650% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $365 in Sa Pa 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 $21.00 in Sa Pa versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $352 – making Sa Pa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Sa Pa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

23:05 11:05 PM

13 h behind Sa Pa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,882

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

Sa Pa Nosara 16,280 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Sa Pa
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

Sa Pa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $731 in Sa Pa, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 151% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,097 per month in Sa Pa 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 Sa Pa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 1016% less in Sa Pa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $266 per month in Sa Pa and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sa Pa, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sa Pa 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 $731 in Sa Pa 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 Sa Pa. 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.