Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guanacaste and Semarang

For one person, living is cheaper in Semarang: $599 a month against $1,548 in Guanacaste, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
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Guanacaste Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
Learn more

Semarang Living Index

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Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guanacaste and in Semarang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Guanacaste and in Semarang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Guanacaste vs $599 in Semarang, rent included.

Guanacaste $1,548
Semarang $599

A couple spends around $2,428 per month in Guanacaste vs $945 in Semarang, rent included.

Guanacaste $2,428
Semarang $945

A family of three spends $3,309 per month in Guanacaste vs $1,292 in Semarang, rent included.

Guanacaste $3,309
Semarang $1,292

Guanacaste costs about 158% more than Semarang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Guanacaste sits 15% above the global median, while Semarang is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.82 ₡4,851

$1.39 Rp 25.0K

678.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 ₡21.8K

$10.63 Rp 191.3K

357.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 ₡5,237

$3.07 Rp 55.3K

280.46%

Cappuccino

$4.53 ₡2,032

$1.28 Rp 23.1K

253.91%

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

$2.75 ₡1,234

$0.48 Rp 8,633

472.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡871

$0.20 Rp 3,641

870.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 ₡1,417

$1.62 Rp 29.2K

95.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,037

$3.39 Rp 61.1K

33.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₡895

$1.07 Rp 19.3K

86.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,363

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

241.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ₡1,090

$0.78 Rp 14.0K

211.54%

Eggs

$3.54 ₡1,588

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

185.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 ₡2,438

$3.99 Rp 71.9K

36.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 ₡2,002

$2.44 Rp 44.0K

83.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.84 ₡4,861

$7.53 Rp 135.5K

43.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 ₡1,147

$2.07 Rp 37.3K

23.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

29.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 ₡2,022

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

145.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

4.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,749

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

184.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 ₡1,002

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

12.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 ₡383

$0.90 Rp 16.3K

-5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,386

$0.42 Rp 7,529

635.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ₡1,984

$1.96 Rp 35.3K

125.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.31 ₡9,107

$24.63 Rp 443.3K

-17.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

70.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$2.00 Rp 36.1K

33.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡582

$0.21 Rp 3,778

519.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.21 Rp 255.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,100

$0.47 Rp 8,539

421.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.27 Rp 4,808

474.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ₡3,945

$2.72 Rp 49.0K

223.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡695

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

89.02%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$25.2K Rp 453.9M

-13.44%

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

$35.4K ₡15.9M

$32.3K Rp 581.4M

9.71%

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

$96.5 ₡43.3K

$85.9 Rp 1.5M

12.30%

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

$36.34 ₡16.3K

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

1276.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.76 ₡14.7K

$19.37 Rp 348.6K

69.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₡32.3K

$20.70 Rp 372.6K

248.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.68 Rp 84.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ₡3,395

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

245.66%

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

$974 ₡436.7K

$51.1 Rp 920.3K

1804.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.8M

$2,063 Rp 37.1M

743.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.6 ₡29.4K

$35.51 Rp 639.1K

84.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.46 ₡19.5K

$29.67 Rp 534.1K

46.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ₡39.9K

$56.9 Rp 1.0M

56.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.9 ₡34.5K

$38.38 Rp 690.8K

100.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 ₡364.2K

$231 Rp 4.1M

252.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₡280.4K

$138 Rp 2.5M

354.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 ₡861.1K

$498 Rp 9.0M

285.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 ₡567.0K

$378 Rp 6.8M

234.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,211 Rp 21.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$825 Rp 14.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$191 Rp 3.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.82

-2.27%

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

Last update for Guanacaste: October 11, 2026

Last update for Semarang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guanacaste

$625 40.4%

Semarang

$138 23% 78% $488

Groceries & Markets

Guanacaste

$311 20.1%

Semarang

$186 31% 40.3% $125

Eating Out

Guanacaste

$220 14.2%

Semarang

$53 8.9% 75.7% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guanacaste

$166 10.7%

Semarang

$108 18% 34.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Guanacaste

$124 8%

Semarang

$72 12.1% 41.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Guanacaste

$87 5.6%

Semarang

$25 4.2% 71.2% $62

Getting Around

Guanacaste

$15 * 1%

Semarang

$17 2.8% 9.4% $1.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Guanacaste versus $231 in Semarang. 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 $49.00 in Guanacaste versus $11.00 in Semarang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $186 – making Semarang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🇮🇩 Semarang

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

02:36 2:36 AM

13 h ahead of Guanacaste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,823

1,555,984

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guanacaste Semarang 18,240 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Guanacaste
Semarang

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

Guanacaste vs Semarang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Guanacaste is pricier by about 158%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,321 per month in Guanacaste and $898 in Semarang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Semarang, 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 $1,548 in Guanacaste and $599 in Semarang. That's a gap of about 158%.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Guanacaste and $51.1 in Semarang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Semarang, where all-in costs run around $599, than in Guanacaste at $1,548. In Semarang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guanacaste it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Semarang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Guanacaste makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.