Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,224 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,224

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,224 per month in Bali vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Bali $1,224
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,064 per month in Bali vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Bali $2,064
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,904 per month in Bali vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Bali $2,904
Nosara $3,712

Bali is about 33% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bali sits 9% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 Rp 49.1K

$12.22 ₡5,509

-77.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.64 Rp 530.3K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-50.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 Rp 84.7K

$7.54 ₡3,399

-37.14%

Cappuccino

$2.22 Rp 39.7K

$4.31 ₡1,941

-48.49%

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

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

$1.72 ₡773

-20.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 Rp 11.8K

$1.35 ₡608

-51.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 Rp 39.5K

$3.24 ₡1,459

-31.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 Rp 64.8K

$4.48 ₡2,018

-19.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 Rp 25.8K

$1.57 ₡707

-8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 Rp 38.7K

$3.17 ₡1,429

-31.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 Rp 20.0K

$2.42 ₡1,091

-53.72%

Eggs

$1.97 Rp 35.3K

$3.57 ₡1,609

-44.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.41 Rp 293.5K

$7.43 ₡3,349

120.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 Rp 65.0K

$10.42 ₡4,697

-65.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.53 Rp 206.4K

$13.66 ₡6,156

-15.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 Rp 60.2K

$2.32 ₡1,044

45.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.0K

$1.61 ₡728

-9.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 Rp 38.5K

$4.74 ₡2,138

-54.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.0K

$1.66 ₡747

14.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.2K

$3.72 ₡1,679

-51.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.1K

$3.57 ₡1,611

-37.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

$1.10 ₡497

-14.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 Rp 8,585

$2.55 ₡1,149

-81.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

$4.95 ₡2,232

-56.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.94 Rp 392.5K

$20.01 ₡9,020

9.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

$2.79 ₡1,256

-19.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 Rp 49.6K

$3.53 ₡1,589

-21.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,664

$1.19 ₡537

-78.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.08 Rp 144.5K

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-88.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,859

$2.24 ₡1,011

-80.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,497

$1.55 ₡701

-72.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 Rp 101.2K

$8.86 ₡3,993

-36.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 Rp 16.0K

$1.57 ₡708

-42.68%

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

$24.2K Rp 433.8M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

11.21%

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

$31.5K Rp 563.6M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-9.05%

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

$80.1 Rp 1.4M

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-14.34%

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

$6.63 Rp 118.6K

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-81.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.33 Rp 327.9K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-64.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.56 Rp 815.1K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-36.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 Rp 272.7K

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-57.00%

Cinema Ticket

$3.71 Rp 66.4K

$7.84 ₡3,535

-52.68%

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

$442 Rp 7.9M

$490 ₡220.7K

-9.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,246 Rp 93.8M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-55.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.18 Rp 790.3K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-17.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 Rp 610.6K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-38.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 Rp 1.4M

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-2.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-4.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 Rp 17.8M

$786 ₡354.3K

26.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$588 Rp 10.5M

$780 ₡351.6K

-24.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,084 Rp 55.2M

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-20.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 Rp 26.8M

$1,407 ₡634.4K

6.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,383 Rp 42.6M

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-65.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,015 Rp 36.1M

$1,201 ₡541.3K

67.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$223 Rp 4.0M

$876 ₡395.0K

-74.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

8.62

59.86%

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

Last update for Bali: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$588 48%

Nosara

$780 43% 32.5% $191

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$274 22.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 27.5% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$105 8.6%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 71.5% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$104 8.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 16% $17

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 135% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$53 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 64.3% $34

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 646% $75

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Bali versus $786 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 293% 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 $30.00 in Bali versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $350 – making Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

20:49 8:49 PM

14 h behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,890 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,065 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Nosara 17,710 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
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

Bali vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 50% more than Bali, 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 $1,836 per month in Bali and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bali, 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 Bali and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,224 in Bali and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 50%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,224, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bali costs $1,224 versus $1,837 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 Bali. 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.