Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Siem Reap and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Siem Reap: $806 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Siem Reap
Learn more

Siem Reap Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Siem Reap

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$806

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $806 per month in Siem Reap vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Siem Reap $806
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,247 per month in Siem Reap vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Siem Reap $1,247
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,689 per month in Siem Reap vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Siem Reap $1,689
Nosara $3,818

Siem Reap is about 56% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Siem Reap sits 40% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.43 ៛9,884

$12.35 ₡5,539

-80.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.16 ៛98.1K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-60.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 ៛31.7K

$7.52 ₡3,373

3.86%

Cappuccino

$1.69 ៛6,857

$4.41 ₡1,978

-61.68%

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

$0.70 ៛2,854

$1.74 ₡780

-59.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 ៛1,746

$1.31 ₡587

-67.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ៛4,148

$3.28 ₡1,471

-68.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ៛8,045

$4.47 ₡2,004

-55.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ៛8,687

$1.56 ₡701

37.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ៛7,159

$3.02 ₡1,355

-41.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ៛3,540

$2.51 ₡1,125

-65.34%

Eggs

$1.72 ៛6,979

$3.57 ₡1,603

-51.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.24 ៛61.9K

$7.43 ₡3,333

105.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ៛11.5K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-73.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 ៛41.5K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-26.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 ៛17.6K

$2.35 ₡1,052

84.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ៛5,008

$1.61 ₡720

-23.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.68 ៛14.9K

$4.80 ₡2,152

-23.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ៛4,431

$1.61 ₡724

-32.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 ៛5,415

$3.80 ₡1,703

-65.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 ៛4,534

$3.69 ₡1,657

-69.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ៛5,262

$1.13 ₡507

15.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ៛3,227

$2.66 ₡1,191

-70.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.41 ៛5,709

$5.18 ₡2,321

-72.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.75 ៛31.5K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-61.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ៛4,051

$2.90 ₡1,300

-65.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ៛9,162

$3.63 ₡1,626

-37.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 ៛3,949

$1.12 ₡504

-13.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.14 ៛61.5K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-79.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 ៛8,169

$2.14 ₡958

-6.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ៛4,103

$1.57 ₡703

-35.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 ៛20.3K

$8.52 ₡3,823

-41.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ៛5,310

$1.52 ₡682

-13.82%

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

$24.8K ៛100.7M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

14.72%

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

$22.7K ៛92.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-34.23%

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

$103 ៛417.4K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

6.73%

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

$5.82 ៛23.6K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-83.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.37 ៛62.4K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-71.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.20 ៛134.8K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-53.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.27 ៛57.9K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-59.12%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 ៛20.2K

$7.89 ₡3,539

-37.01%

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

$283 ៛1.2M

$494 ₡221.6K

-42.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,488 ៛18.2M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-62.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.69 ៛108.4K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-50.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.31 ៛54.0K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-75.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.5 ៛278.3K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-12.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.31 ៛184.1K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-43.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 ៛1.3M

$788 ₡353.4K

-58.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ៛940.8K

$794 ₡356.2K

-70.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$669 ៛2.7M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-83.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 ៛1.8M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-69.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,454 ៛10.0M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-64.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 ៛4.5M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-10.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$239 ៛969.1K

$864 ₡387.3K

-72.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.2

8.62

6.73%

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

Last update for Siem Reap: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Siem Reap

$235 29.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 49.9% $117

Accommodation & Living

Siem Reap

$232 28.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 243% $563

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Siem Reap

$124 15.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 49.9% $62

Eating Out

Siem Reap

$77 9.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 176% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Siem Reap

$69 8.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 73.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Siem Reap

$43 5.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 103% $44

Getting Around

Siem Reap

$26 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 234% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $329 in Siem Reap 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 262% 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 $24.00 in Siem Reap versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $352 – making Siem Reap the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Siem Reap

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:14 2:14 PM

01:14 1:14 AM

13 h behind Siem Reap

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

171,800

4,912

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Siem Reap Nosara 17,220 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Siem Reap
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

Siem Reap vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $806 in Siem Reap, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 128% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,209 per month in Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 380% less in Siem Reap. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $283 per month in Siem Reap and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Siem Reap, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Siem Reap 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 $806 in Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap. 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.