Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samut Prakan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Samut Prakan: $886 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Samut Prakan
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Samut Prakan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$886

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $886 per month in Samut Prakan vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Samut Prakan $886
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,389 per month in Samut Prakan vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Samut Prakan $1,389
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,893 per month in Samut Prakan vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Samut Prakan $1,893
Nosara $3,818

Samut Prakan is about 52% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Samut Prakan sits 34% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.25 ฿109

$12.35 ₡5,539

-73.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.10 ฿505

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-75.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 ฿254

$7.52 ₡3,373

1.20%

Cappuccino

$1.43 ฿47.70

$4.41 ₡1,978

-67.57%

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

$0.51 ฿17.05

$1.74 ₡780

-70.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ฿8.75

$1.31 ₡587

-80.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 ฿67.8

$3.28 ₡1,471

-38.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ฿101

$4.47 ₡2,004

-32.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿49.36

$1.56 ₡701

-5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ฿32.07

$3.02 ₡1,355

-68.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ฿29.12

$2.51 ₡1,125

-65.34%

Eggs

$1.74 ฿58.2

$3.57 ₡1,603

-51.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.31 ฿412

$7.43 ₡3,333

65.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.47 ฿82.4

$10.52 ₡4,717

-76.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ฿342

$13.97 ₡6,265

-26.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ฿59.9

$2.35 ₡1,052

-23.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 ฿23.72

$1.61 ₡720

-55.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.92

$4.80 ₡2,152

-72.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ฿39.20

$1.61 ₡724

-27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.70

$3.80 ₡1,703

-61.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 ฿25.72

$3.69 ₡1,657

-79.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 ฿27.36

$1.13 ₡507

-27.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿14.90

$2.66 ₡1,191

-83.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 ฿152

$5.18 ₡2,321

-11.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.98 ฿300

$19.88 ₡8,916

-54.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ฿34.32

$2.90 ₡1,300

-64.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ฿62.6

$3.63 ₡1,626

-48.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$1.12 ₡504

-52.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 ฿56.4

$2.14 ₡958

-21.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ฿51.5

$1.57 ₡703

-1.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 ฿159

$8.52 ₡3,823

-44.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ฿37.00

$1.52 ₡682

-26.97%

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

$11.9K ฿396.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-45.07%

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

$23.5K ฿785.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-31.88%

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

$83.1 ฿2,778

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-13.68%

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

$9.05 ฿302

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-74.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.08 ฿537

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-69.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.11 ฿1,574

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-34.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.07 ฿470

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-59.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 ฿219

$7.89 ₡3,539

-16.98%

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

$146 ฿4,876

$494 ₡221.6K

-70.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,031 ฿201.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-49.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.97 ฿500

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-72.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.13 ฿1,208

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-34.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 ฿2,411

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-7.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 ฿3,927

$79.6 ₡35.7K

47.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 ฿15.7K

$788 ₡353.4K

-40.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 ฿11.1K

$794 ₡356.2K

-58.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 ฿46.0K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-65.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 ฿24.1K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-49.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,909 ฿63.8K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-72.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,597 ฿53.4K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

30.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 ฿22.5K

$864 ₡387.3K

-21.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-65.20%

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

Last update for Samut Prakan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samut Prakan

$331 37.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 140% $463

Groceries & Markets

Samut Prakan

$181 20.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 95.2% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Samut Prakan

$108 12.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 10.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samut Prakan

$108 12.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 71.6% $78

Eating Out

Samut Prakan

$85 9.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 149% $127

Sport & Entertainment

Samut Prakan

$60 6.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 45.1% $27

Getting Around

Samut Prakan

$12 * 1.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 656% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $469 in Samut Prakan 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.

Salaries run about 28% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Samut Prakan versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $352 – making Samut Prakan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Samut Prakan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

11:29 11:29 AM

13 h behind Samut Prakan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,843

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

Samut Prakan Nosara 17,300 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Samut Prakan
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

Samut Prakan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $886 in Samut Prakan, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 108% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,328 per month in Samut Prakan 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 Samut Prakan, 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 $15.00 in Samut Prakan 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 95% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Samut Prakan, where all-in costs run around $886, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Samut Prakan 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 $886 in Samut Prakan 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 Samut Prakan. 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.