Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ampang Jaya and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ampang Jaya: $1,009 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Ampang Jaya
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Ampang Jaya Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ampang Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,009

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,009 per month in Ampang Jaya vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Ampang Jaya $1,009
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,506 per month in Ampang Jaya vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Ampang Jaya $1,506
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,003 per month in Ampang Jaya vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Ampang Jaya $2,003
Nosara $3,818

Ampang Jaya is about 45% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ampang Jaya sits 25% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.69 MYR 15.07

$12.35 ₡5,539

-70.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.43 MYR 99.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-60.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 MYR 20.19

$7.52 ₡3,373

-34.18%

Cappuccino

$3.06 MYR 12.48

$4.41 ₡1,978

-30.61%

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

$0.93 MYR 3.79

$1.74 ₡780

-46.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.26

$1.31 ₡587

-58.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.37 MYR 17.82

$3.28 ₡1,471

33.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 MYR 26.19

$4.47 ₡2,004

43.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.10

$1.56 ₡701

11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.41

$3.02 ₡1,355

-64.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.10

$2.51 ₡1,125

-40.24%

Eggs

$1.76 MYR 7.18

$3.57 ₡1,603

-50.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 MYR 40.76

$7.43 ₡3,333

34.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.47 MYR 14.16

$10.52 ₡4,717

-67.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 MYR 40.42

$13.97 ₡6,265

-29.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 MYR 13.73

$2.35 ₡1,052

43.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.91

$1.61 ₡720

4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 MYR 13.09

$4.80 ₡2,152

-33.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 MYR 6.62

$1.61 ₡724

0.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.83

$3.80 ₡1,703

-62.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 7.02

$3.69 ₡1,657

-53.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 MYR 5.61

$1.13 ₡507

22.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$2.66 ₡1,191

-80.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 MYR 18.51

$5.18 ₡2,321

-12.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 MYR 80.5

$19.88 ₡8,916

-0.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 MYR 11.61

$2.90 ₡1,300

-1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 MYR 18.70

$3.63 ₡1,626

26.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 MYR 4.10

$1.12 ₡504

-9.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.59 MYR 79.9

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-73.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.08

$2.14 ₡958

-41.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$1.57 ₡703

-77.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 MYR 25.33

$8.52 ₡3,823

-27.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.55

$1.52 ₡682

-42.76%

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

$42.5K MYR 173.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

96.68%

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

$34.6K MYR 141.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

0.10%

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

$48.90 MYR 199

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-49.22%

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

$11.23 MYR 45.79

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-68.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.37 MYR 116

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-47.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.16 MYR 148

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-49.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.54 MYR 30.76

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-78.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 MYR 20.54

$7.89 ₡3,539

-36.12%

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

$193 MYR 786

$494 ₡221.6K

-60.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,453 MYR 18.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-62.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MYR 217

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-1.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.19 MYR 123

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-45.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 333

$77.9 ₡34.9K

4.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.6 MYR 353

$79.6 ₡35.7K

8.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 MYR 1,780

$788 ₡353.4K

-44.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 MYR 1,484

$794 ₡356.2K

-54.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 MYR 6,083

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-62.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 MYR 2,407

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-58.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$836 MYR 3,412

$864 ₡387.3K

-3.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

8.62

-47.68%

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

Last update for Ampang Jaya: 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

Ampang Jaya

$364 36.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 118% $431

Groceries & Markets

Ampang Jaya

$249 24.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 41.7% $104

Eating Out

Ampang Jaya

$122 12.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 74% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Ampang Jaya

$113 11.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 6.1% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ampang Jaya

$88 8.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 110% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Ampang Jaya

$46 4.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 89% $41

Getting Around

Ampang Jaya

$27 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 227% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $436 in Ampang Jaya 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 3% 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 Ampang Jaya versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $352 – making Ampang Jaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Ampang Jaya

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

01:36 1:36 AM

14 h behind Ampang Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

531,904

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 18, 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 18, 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

Ampang Jaya Nosara 18,340 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Ampang Jaya
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

Ampang Jaya vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,009 in Ampang Jaya, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 82% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,513 per month in Ampang Jaya 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 Ampang Jaya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,009 in Ampang Jaya and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 82%.

Public transport costs about 271% less in Ampang Jaya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ampang Jaya, where all-in costs run around $1,009, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ampang Jaya 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 $1,009 in Ampang Jaya 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 Ampang Jaya. 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.