Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gili Air and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Gili Air: $812 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Gili Air
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Gili Air Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Gili Air

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$812

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $812 per month in Gili Air vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Gili Air $812
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,337 per month in Gili Air vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Gili Air $1,337
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $1,861 per month in Gili Air vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Gili Air $1,861
Nosara $3,814

Gili Air is about 56% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Gili Air sits 40% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

$12.34 ₡5,535

-85.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.34 Rp 348.1K

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-68.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

$7.76 ₡3,481

-61.47%

Cappuccino

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

$4.44 ₡1,992

-67.79%

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

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

$1.79 ₡803

-51.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,928

$1.29 ₡580

-65.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

$3.24 ₡1,451

-54.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 Rp 43.9K

$4.43 ₡1,985

-44.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

$1.55 ₡696

-27.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 Rp 28.7K

$3.08 ₡1,380

-48.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$2.53 ₡1,133

-67.98%

Eggs

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

$3.45 ₡1,546

-57.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.29 Rp 221.3K

$7.32 ₡3,284

67.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.82 Rp 50.7K

$10.24 ₡4,594

-72.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.56 Rp 154.0K

$14.10 ₡6,326

-39.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 Rp 44.9K

$2.29 ₡1,027

8.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 Rp 20.5K

$1.64 ₡737

-30.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 Rp 30.2K

$4.79 ₡2,149

-64.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

$1.64 ₡735

-16.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 Rp 24.0K

$3.85 ₡1,727

-65.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

$3.75 ₡1,681

-54.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

$1.09 ₡488

-33.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 Rp 6,869

$2.59 ₡1,160

-85.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.59 Rp 28.7K

$5.12 ₡2,295

-68.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.78 Rp 284.0K

$19.92 ₡8,931

-20.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 Rp 30.5K

$2.80 ₡1,255

-39.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

$3.52 ₡1,580

-41.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 Rp 3,182

$1.22 ₡549

-85.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.64 Rp 119.6K

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-91.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 Rp 6,851

$2.17 ₡973

-82.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 Rp 6,206

$1.56 ₡698

-78.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 Rp 90.6K

$8.67 ₡3,886

-41.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

$1.55 ₡697

-54.19%

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

$19.0K Rp 342.1M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-44.99%

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

$25.7K Rp 461.8M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-33.79%

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

$64.5 Rp 1.2M

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-32.01%

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

$5.21 Rp 93.7K

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-85.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.68 Rp 264.3K

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-72.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.16 Rp 578.8K

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-56.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.43 Rp 187.8K

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-70.73%

Cinema Ticket

$2.51 Rp 45.1K

$7.91 ₡3,548

-68.27%

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

$336 Rp 6.0M

$490 ₡219.9K

-31.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,931 Rp 70.8M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-66.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.54 Rp 675.7K

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-31.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.70 Rp 516.5K

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-48.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.6 Rp 1.1M

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-20.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.0 Rp 1.1M

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-19.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 Rp 9.8M

$801 ₡359.1K

-32.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 Rp 6.0M

$790 ₡354.1K

-58.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,705 Rp 30.7M

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-57.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 Rp 14.5M

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-42.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,306 Rp 23.5M

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-81.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,074 Rp 19.3M

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-13.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

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 Gili Air: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gili Air

$331 40.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 138% $458

Groceries & Markets

Gili Air

$205 25.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 70.6% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Gili Air

$87 10.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 39.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gili Air

$84 10.4%

Nosara

$184 10% 118% $100

Eating Out

Gili Air

$58 7.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 265% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Gili Air

$37 4.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 141% $52

Getting Around

Gili Air

$9.5 1.2%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 839% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $543 in Gili Air versus $801 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Gili Air versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $350 – making Gili Air the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Gili Air

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

06:28 6:28 AM

14 h behind Gili Air

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,800

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 20, 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 20, 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

Gili Air Nosara 17,620 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Gili Air
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

Gili Air vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 126%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,218 per month in Gili Air and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gili Air, 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 $812 in Gili Air and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 126%.

Public transport costs about 1013% less in Gili Air. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gili Air, where all-in costs run around $812, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Gili Air it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gili Air – 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 Gili Air. 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.