Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bukit Mertajam and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $623 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$623

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $623 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Bukit Mertajam $623
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $979 in Bukit Mertajam versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Bukit Mertajam $979
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,335 in Bukit Mertajam versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Bukit Mertajam $1,335
Nosara $3,818

Living in Bukit Mertajam costs roughly 66% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bukit Mertajam is 54% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$12.35 ₡5,539

-84.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.63 MYR 84.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-66.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.93 MYR 16.03

$7.52 ₡3,373

-47.74%

Cappuccino

$3.14 MYR 12.80

$4.41 ₡1,978

-28.80%

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

$0.72 MYR 2.93

$1.74 ₡780

-58.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$1.31 ₡587

-64.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.30 MYR 17.52

$3.28 ₡1,471

31.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 MYR 24.69

$4.47 ₡2,004

35.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.10

$1.56 ₡701

11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$3.02 ₡1,355

-62.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MYR 7.91

$2.51 ₡1,125

-22.71%

Eggs

$2.52 MYR 10.26

$3.57 ₡1,603

-29.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.07 MYR 57.4

$7.43 ₡3,333

89.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.71

$10.52 ₡4,717

-58.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.65 MYR 39.35

$13.97 ₡6,265

-30.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 MYR 14.24

$2.35 ₡1,052

48.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 MYR 7.32

$1.61 ₡720

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 MYR 9.42

$4.80 ₡2,152

-51.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.23

$1.61 ₡724

-4.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.42

$3.80 ₡1,703

-65.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.76

$3.69 ₡1,657

-61.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.57

$1.13 ₡507

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.72

$2.66 ₡1,191

-74.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MYR 17.64

$5.18 ₡2,321

-16.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.48 MYR 79.5

$19.88 ₡8,916

-2.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 MYR 14.91

$2.90 ₡1,300

25.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.05 MYR 20.60

$3.63 ₡1,626

39.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$2.14 ₡958

-44.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.11

$1.57 ₡703

-20.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 MYR 20.50

$8.52 ₡3,823

-40.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$1.52 ₡682

-42.76%

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

$41.2K MYR 168.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

90.87%

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

$34.4K MYR 140.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-0.29%

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

$62.4 MYR 255

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-35.15%

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

$8.54 MYR 34.85

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-76.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.31 MYR 107

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-50.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$5.06 MYR 20.65

$7.89 ₡3,539

-35.87%

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

$242 MYR 989

$494 ₡221.6K

-50.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K MYR 52.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

9.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 MYR 292

$53.9 ₡24.2K

32.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.95 MYR 171

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-24.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 MYR 357

$77.9 ₡34.9K

12.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 MYR 397

$79.6 ₡35.7K

22.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

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)

$567 MYR 2,312

$864 ₡387.3K

-34.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.18

8.62

-51.51%

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

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bukit Mertajam

$271 43.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 30% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Bukit Mertajam

$134 21.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 10.5% $14

Eating Out

Bukit Mertajam

$103 16.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 105% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bukit Mertajam

$97 15.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 90.9% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 763% $77

Getting Around

Bukit Mertajam

$7.5 * 1.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1069% $80

Accommodation & Living

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Nosara pays 52% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $21.00 in Bukit Mertajam vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $352 per month, with Bukit Mertajam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

19:44 7:44 PM

14 h behind Bukit Mertajam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

212,329

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 19, 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 19, 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

Bukit Mertajam Nosara 18,180 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Bukit Mertajam
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

Bukit Mertajam vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bukit Mertajam and Nosara differ by about 195% in total monthly costs ($623 vs $1,839 including rent). Bukit Mertajam is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $623 per month in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 195% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $623 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bukit Mertajam but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Bukit Mertajam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bukit Mertajam and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bukit Mertajam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 195% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.