Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Songkhla and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Songkhla: $830 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Songkhla
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Songkhla Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Songkhla

🇹🇭 Thailand

$830

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $830 per month in Songkhla vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Songkhla $830
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,335 per month in Songkhla vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Songkhla $1,335
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,839 per month in Songkhla vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Songkhla $1,839
Nosara $3,818

Songkhla is about 55% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Songkhla sits 38% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.76 ฿58.9

$12.35 ₡5,539

-85.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.83 ฿730

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-64.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ฿156

$7.52 ₡3,373

-37.77%

Cappuccino

$1.59 ฿53.1

$4.41 ₡1,978

-63.95%

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

$0.72 ฿24.04

$1.74 ₡780

-58.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ฿7.64

$1.31 ₡587

-82.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 ฿60.4

$3.28 ₡1,471

-44.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 ฿157

$4.47 ₡2,004

5.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.56 ₡701

6.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 ฿30.78

$3.02 ₡1,355

-69.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$2.51 ₡1,125

-33.86%

Eggs

$1.42 ฿47.58

$3.57 ₡1,603

-60.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.51 ฿552

$7.43 ₡3,333

122.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.71 ฿90.7

$10.52 ₡4,717

-74.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 ฿341

$13.97 ₡6,265

-26.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.5

$2.35 ₡1,052

26.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ฿58.6

$1.61 ₡720

8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ฿74.7

$4.80 ₡2,152

-53.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.09

$1.61 ₡724

-21.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 ฿47.16

$3.80 ₡1,703

-62.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 ฿58.9

$3.69 ₡1,657

-52.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.02

$1.13 ₡507

-4.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ฿29.80

$2.66 ₡1,191

-66.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿143

$5.18 ₡2,321

-17.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 ฿451

$19.88 ₡8,916

-32.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 ฿49.06

$2.90 ₡1,300

-49.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ฿152

$3.63 ₡1,626

25.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.43

$1.12 ₡504

-24.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.7 ฿1,994

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-17.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 ฿41.36

$2.14 ₡958

-42.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 ฿27.46

$1.57 ₡703

-47.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.80 ฿160

$8.52 ₡3,823

-43.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ฿41.33

$1.52 ₡682

-18.42%

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

$25.9K ฿867.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

20.06%

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

$31.6K ฿1.1M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-8.48%

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

$85.8 ฿2,866

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-10.95%

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

$12.49 ฿417

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-65.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.69 ฿591

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-66.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.41 ฿1,618

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-32.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.10 ฿471

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-59.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.02 ฿201

$7.89 ₡3,539

-23.70%

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

$561 ฿18.7K

$494 ₡221.6K

13.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ฿356.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-10.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 ฿1,689

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-6.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.97 ฿968

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-47.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 ฿2,577

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-1.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 ฿2,518

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-5.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$236 ฿7,880

$788 ₡353.4K

-70.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ฿5,782

$794 ₡356.2K

-78.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$568 ฿19.0K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-85.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 ฿14.1K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-70.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,943 ฿64.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-71.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,605 ฿53.7K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

31.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$806 ฿26.9K

$864 ₡387.3K

-6.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.33

8.62

8.24%

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

Last update for Songkhla: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Songkhla

$239 28.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 47.6% $114

Accommodation & Living

Songkhla

$173 20.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 359% $621

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Songkhla

$116 14%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 60.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Songkhla

$104 12.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 15% $16

Eating Out

Songkhla

$69 8.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 205% $142

Getting Around

Songkhla

$68 8.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 27.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Songkhla

$60 7.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 44.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $236 in Songkhla 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 7% 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 $22.00 in Songkhla versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $352 – making Songkhla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Songkhla

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:38 11:38 PM

10:38 10:38 AM

13 h behind Songkhla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,758

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

Songkhla Nosara 17,980 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Songkhla
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

Songkhla vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $830 in Songkhla, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 121% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,245 per month in Songkhla 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 Songkhla, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Songkhla. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $561 per month in Songkhla and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Songkhla, where all-in costs run around $830, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Songkhla 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 $830 in Songkhla 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 Songkhla. 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.