Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surat Thani and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $775 per month in Surat Thani vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Surat Thani $775
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Surat Thani vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Surat Thani $1,414
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,053 per month in Surat Thani vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Surat Thani $2,053
Nosara $3,814

Surat Thani is about 58% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Surat Thani sits 43% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ฿63.0

$12.34 ₡5,535

-84.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.87 ฿597

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-70.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ฿151

$7.76 ₡3,481

-41.88%

Cappuccino

$1.50 ฿50.2

$4.44 ₡1,992

-66.22%

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

$0.50 ฿16.68

$1.79 ₡803

-72.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ฿9.66

$1.29 ₡580

-77.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿85.4

$3.24 ₡1,451

-20.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ฿123

$4.43 ₡1,985

-16.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$1.55 ₡696

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ฿39.89

$3.08 ₡1,380

-61.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 ฿39.13

$2.53 ₡1,133

-53.75%

Eggs

$1.87 ฿62.4

$3.45 ₡1,546

-45.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 ฿641

$7.32 ₡3,284

162.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ฿111

$10.24 ₡4,594

-67.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.44 ฿249

$14.10 ₡6,326

-47.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ฿97.2

$2.29 ₡1,027

27.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.3

$1.64 ₡737

2.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ฿58.7

$4.79 ₡2,149

-63.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.64 ₡735

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.57

$3.85 ₡1,727

-66.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.90

$3.75 ₡1,681

-63.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.24

$1.09 ₡488

1.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ฿13.66

$2.59 ₡1,160

-84.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ฿103

$5.12 ₡2,295

-40.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.86 ฿630

$19.92 ₡8,931

-5.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 ฿51.6

$2.80 ₡1,255

-45.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿60.7

$3.52 ₡1,580

-48.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ฿34.00

$1.22 ₡549

-16.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.95 ฿700

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-71.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.50

$2.17 ₡973

-45.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ฿21.05

$1.56 ₡698

-59.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ฿117

$8.67 ₡3,886

-59.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ฿38.93

$1.55 ₡697

-25.16%

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

$26.6K ฿890.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-22.91%

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

$27.3K ฿911.7K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-29.60%

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

$72.9 ฿2,437

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-23.10%

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

$11.12 ฿372

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-69.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.32 ฿579

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-67.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.24 ฿1,612

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-34.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.52 ฿385

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-67.67%

Cinema Ticket

$4.53 ฿151

$7.91 ₡3,548

-42.73%

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

$549 ฿18.3K

$490 ₡219.9K

11.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿386.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-2.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ฿2,070

$54.8 ₡24.6K

13.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.16 ฿974

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-47.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 ฿3,252

$80.4 ₡36.0K

21.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 ฿2,892

$77.9 ₡34.9K

11.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,910

$801 ₡359.1K

-70.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 ฿4,985

$790 ₡354.1K

-81.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 ฿38.4K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-71.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 ฿23.7K

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-49.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,226 ฿74.4K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-68.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,404 ฿46.9K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

13.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.62

-35.38%

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

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surat Thani

$244 31.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 43.2% $105

Accommodation & Living

Surat Thani

$149 19.3%

Nosara

$790 43% 429% $640

Clothing & Footwear

Surat Thani

$124 16%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 2.2% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surat Thani

$101 13.1%

Nosara

$184 10% 81.6% $83

Eating Out

Surat Thani

$70 9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 204% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Surat Thani

$57 7.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 56.4% $32

Getting Around

Surat Thani

$29 3.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 202% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $237 in Surat Thani versus $801 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 $18.00 in Surat Thani versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $350 – making Surat Thani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

15:26 3:26 PM

13 h behind Surat Thani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

132,040

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Surat Thani Nosara 17,820 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Surat Thani
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

Surat Thani vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $775 in Surat Thani, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 137% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,163 per month in Surat Thani and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surat Thani, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 253% less in Surat Thani. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $549 per month in Surat Thani and $490 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 Surat Thani, where all-in costs run around $775, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Surat Thani 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 $775 in Surat Thani to $1,835 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 Surat Thani. 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.