Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Banda Aceh and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Banda Aceh: $320 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Banda Aceh
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Banda Aceh Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Banda Aceh

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$320

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $320 per month in Banda Aceh vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Banda Aceh $320
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $511 per month in Banda Aceh vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Banda Aceh $511
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $702 per month in Banda Aceh vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Banda Aceh $702
Nosara $3,814

Banda Aceh is about 83% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Banda Aceh sits 76% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$12.34 ₡5,535

-82.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$6.74 Rp 121.3K

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-89.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.34 Rp 60.1K

$7.76 ₡3,481

-56.96%

Cappuccino

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$4.44 ₡1,992

-73.42%

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

$0.38 Rp 6,778

$1.79 ₡803

-78.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 Rp 3,774

$1.29 ₡580

-83.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 Rp 44.5K

$3.24 ₡1,451

-23.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 Rp 70.9K

$4.43 ₡1,985

-11.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 Rp 29.6K

$1.55 ₡696

5.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 Rp 15.5K

$3.08 ₡1,380

-72.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

$2.53 ₡1,133

-68.38%

Eggs

$1.65 Rp 29.7K

$3.45 ₡1,546

-52.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 Rp 152.9K

$7.32 ₡3,284

15.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.6K

$10.24 ₡4,594

-76.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.59 Rp 118.7K

$14.10 ₡6,326

-53.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$2.29 ₡1,027

-4.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

$1.64 ₡737

-48.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

$4.79 ₡2,149

-83.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

$1.64 ₡735

-48.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 Rp 14.2K

$3.85 ₡1,727

-79.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.42 Rp 61.5K

$3.75 ₡1,681

-8.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 Rp 14.7K

$1.09 ₡488

-24.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,281

$2.59 ₡1,160

-84.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 Rp 54.4K

$5.12 ₡2,295

-41.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.55 ₡697

-46.45%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

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

$33.38 Rp 600.8K

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-64.80%

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

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-93.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.39 Rp 421.0K

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-55.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.66 Rp 173.8K

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-86.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.06 Rp 235.2K

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-63.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

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

$490 ₡219.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,931 Rp 34.8M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-83.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.16 Rp 488.9K

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-50.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.04 Rp 396.8K

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-60.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.60 Rp 784.8K

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-45.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.35 Rp 492.3K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-64.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Banda Aceh: 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

Banda Aceh

$133 * 41.6%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 163% $217

Eating Out

Banda Aceh

$64 20%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 232% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Banda Aceh

$59 18.5%

Nosara

$184 10% 212% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Banda Aceh

$54 16.9%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 124% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Banda Aceh

$9.7 * 3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 828% $80

Getting Around

Banda Aceh

- * 0%

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Accommodation & Living

Banda Aceh

- * 0%

Nosara

$790 43%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $7.00 in Banda Aceh versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $133 vs $350 – making Banda Aceh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Banda Aceh

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

20:39 8:39 PM

13 h behind Banda Aceh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,446

4,912

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Banda Aceh Nosara 18,280 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Banda Aceh
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

Banda Aceh vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 474%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $480 per month in Banda Aceh and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 163% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $7.00 in Banda Aceh and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Banda Aceh, where all-in costs run around $320, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Banda Aceh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Banda Aceh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Banda Aceh. 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.