Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sihanoukville and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sihanoukville: $928 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sihanoukville
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Sihanoukville Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Sihanoukville

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$928

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $928 per month in Sihanoukville vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Sihanoukville $928
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Sihanoukville vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Sihanoukville $1,395
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,862 per month in Sihanoukville vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Sihanoukville $1,862
Nosara $3,818

Sihanoukville is about 50% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sihanoukville sits 31% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.94 ៛16.0K

$12.35 ₡5,547

-68.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.25 ៛122.7K

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-50.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.19 ៛29.2K

$7.52 ₡3,377

-4.39%

Cappuccino

$2.30 ៛9,344

$4.41 ₡1,981

-47.85%

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

$0.78 ៛3,171

$1.74 ₡781

-55.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ៛1,704

$1.31 ₡588

-67.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ៛4,130

$3.28 ₡1,473

-68.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ៛8,208

$4.47 ₡2,007

-54.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ៛8,555

$1.56 ₡702

35.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ៛6,463

$3.02 ₡1,357

-47.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ៛3,513

$2.51 ₡1,127

-65.34%

Eggs

$1.71 ៛6,932

$3.57 ₡1,605

-52.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.87 ៛56.3K

$7.43 ₡3,338

86.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.10 ៛16.6K

$10.52 ₡4,724

-61.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.78 ៛35.6K

$13.97 ₡6,274

-37.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 ៛14.6K

$2.35 ₡1,054

52.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ៛5,591

$1.61 ₡721

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 ៛17.2K

$4.80 ₡2,155

-11.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ៛6,540

$1.61 ₡725

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 ៛5,465

$3.80 ₡1,706

-64.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ៛4,647

$3.69 ₡1,659

-68.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ៛4,816

$1.13 ₡507

5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ៛2,946

$2.66 ₡1,193

-72.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.46 ៛5,938

$5.18 ₡2,324

-71.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 ៛45.3K

$19.88 ₡8,929

-43.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ៛3,669

$2.90 ₡1,302

-68.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ៛6,713

$3.63 ₡1,628

-54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 ៛4,428

$2.14 ₡959

-49.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ៛4,177

$1.57 ₡704

-34.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 ៛21.0K

$8.52 ₡3,828

-39.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ៛5,053

$1.52 ₡683

-17.76%

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

$34.3K ៛139.2M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

58.82%

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

$43.5K ៛176.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

26.02%

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

$106 ៛431.0K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

10.35%

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

$6.46 ៛26.2K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-82.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.99 ៛77.0K

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-64.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ៛292.7K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

0.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.11 ៛41.0K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-71.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 ៛20.6K

$7.89 ₡3,544

-35.49%

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

$339 ៛1.4M

$494 ₡221.9K

-31.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,096 ៛20.7M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-57.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.55 ៛115.8K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-47.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.14 ៛81.7K

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-63.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 ៛363.2K

$77.9 ₡35.0K

14.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$20.29 ៛82.3K

$79.6 ₡35.8K

-74.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 ៛1.6M

$788 ₡353.9K

-48.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 ៛1.2M

$794 ₡356.7K

-61.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 ៛2.6M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-83.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 ៛2.0M

$1,419 ₡637.4K

-65.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.07

8.62

-6.38%

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

Last update for Sihanoukville: 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

Sihanoukville

$304 32.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 161% $490

Groceries & Markets

Sihanoukville

$237 25.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 48.6% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sihanoukville

$132 14.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 41% $54

Eating Out

Sihanoukville

$95 10.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 124% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Sihanoukville

$82 8.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 6.1% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Sihanoukville

$71 7.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 68.3% $49

Getting Around

Sihanoukville

$6.2 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1296% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Sihanoukville 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 $30.00 in Sihanoukville versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $352 – making Sihanoukville the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Sihanoukville

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

13:44 1:44 PM

13 h behind Sihanoukville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,036

4,912

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 4,056 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,545 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sihanoukville Nosara 17,510 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Sihanoukville
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

Sihanoukville vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $928 in Sihanoukville, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 98% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,392 per month in Sihanoukville 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 Sihanoukville, 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 $30.00 in Sihanoukville 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 49% 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 Sihanoukville, where all-in costs run around $928, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sihanoukville 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 $928 in Sihanoukville 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 Sihanoukville. 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.