Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alor Setar and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Alor Setar: $881 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
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Alor Setar Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$881

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $881 per month in Alor Setar vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Alor Setar $881
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,277 per month in Alor Setar vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Alor Setar $1,277
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,672 per month in Alor Setar vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Alor Setar $1,672
Nosara $3,818

Alor Setar is about 52% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Alor Setar sits 35% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.08 MYR 8.48

$12.35 ₡5,539

-83.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.30 MYR 50.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-79.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.28 MYR 17.44

$7.52 ₡3,373

-43.09%

Cappuccino

$1.82 MYR 7.40

$4.41 ₡1,978

-58.73%

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

$0.56 MYR 2.30

$1.74 ₡780

-67.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.24

$1.31 ₡587

-77.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.25 MYR 17.33

$3.28 ₡1,471

29.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 MYR 17.68

$4.47 ₡2,004

-3.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MYR 6.51

$1.56 ₡701

2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 MYR 3.49

$3.02 ₡1,355

-71.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.85

$2.51 ₡1,125

-33.07%

Eggs

$1.51 MYR 6.17

$3.57 ₡1,603

-57.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 MYR 55.6

$7.43 ₡3,333

83.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 MYR 17.76

$10.52 ₡4,717

-58.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.75 MYR 35.68

$13.97 ₡6,265

-37.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MYR 11.98

$2.35 ₡1,052

25.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 5.04

$1.61 ₡720

-22.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 MYR 11.10

$4.80 ₡2,152

-43.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.91

$1.61 ₡724

-9.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 MYR 4.33

$3.80 ₡1,703

-72.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.62

$3.69 ₡1,657

-69.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 MYR 4.48

$1.13 ₡507

-2.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.18

$2.66 ₡1,191

-79.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.37

$5.18 ₡2,321

-13.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.89 MYR 77.1

$19.88 ₡8,916

-4.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 MYR 11.83

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 MYR 21.88

$3.63 ₡1,626

47.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$1.12 ₡504

-29.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.78 MYR 43.98

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-85.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$2.14 ₡958

-21.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 MYR 1.65

$1.57 ₡703

-74.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.37 MYR 30.08

$8.52 ₡3,823

-13.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$1.52 ₡682

-66.45%

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

$41.8K MYR 170.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

93.24%

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

$35.9K MYR 146.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

4.11%

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

$37.61 MYR 153

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-60.94%

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

$7.49 MYR 30.57

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-79.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.82 MYR 89.0

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-59.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.96 MYR 163

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-44.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.19 MYR 29.33

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-79.40%

Cinema Ticket

$4.95 MYR 20.19

$7.89 ₡3,539

-37.26%

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

$427 MYR 1,741

$494 ₡221.6K

-13.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MYR 43.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-9.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 MYR 246

$53.9 ₡24.2K

11.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.46 MYR 141

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-37.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 MYR 336

$77.9 ₡34.9K

5.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.8 MYR 281

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-13.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$371 MYR 1,513

$788 ₡353.4K

-52.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 MYR 1,246

$794 ₡356.2K

-61.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 MYR 2,700

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-83.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 MYR 1,831

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-68.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,986 MYR 8,103

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-71.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$970 MYR 3,958

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-20.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,642 MYR 6,697

$864 ₡387.3K

90.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

8.62

-53.13%

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

Last update for Alor Setar: 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

Alor Setar

$305 34.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 160% $489

Groceries & Markets

Alor Setar

$246 27.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 43.4% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Alor Setar

$111 12.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 8.5% $9.4

Eating Out

Alor Setar

$85 9.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 150% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alor Setar

$67 7.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 178% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Alor Setar

$50 5.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 75.2% $38

Getting Around

Alor Setar

$18 2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 394% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $371 in Alor Setar 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 90% higher in Alor Setar, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Alor Setar versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $352 – making Alor Setar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

12:02 12:02 PM

14 h behind Alor Setar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

423,868

4,912

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 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 MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alor Setar Nosara 18,100 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Alor Setar
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

Alor Setar vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 109% more than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,321 per month in Alor Setar 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 Alor Setar, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $427 per month in Alor Setar and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alor Setar, where all-in costs run around $881, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Alor Setar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Alor Setar costs $881 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Alor Setar. 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.