Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kajang, Selangor and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kajang, Selangor: $988 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Kajang, Selangor
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Kajang, Selangor Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Kajang, Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$988

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $988 per month in Kajang, Selangor vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Kajang, Selangor $988
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,448 per month in Kajang, Selangor vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Kajang, Selangor $1,448
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,909 per month in Kajang, Selangor vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Kajang, Selangor $1,909
Nosara $3,818

Kajang, Selangor is about 46% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kajang, Selangor sits 27% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.76 MYR 15.34

$12.35 ₡5,539

-69.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.63 MYR 76.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-69.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 MYR 19.62

$7.52 ₡3,373

-36.04%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 12.09

$4.41 ₡1,978

-32.88%

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

$0.80 MYR 3.26

$1.74 ₡780

-54.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.92

$1.31 ₡587

-64.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.35 MYR 17.76

$3.28 ₡1,471

32.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 MYR 24.81

$4.47 ₡2,004

36.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 MYR 6.88

$1.56 ₡701

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.28

$3.02 ₡1,355

-65.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.84

$2.51 ₡1,125

-43.03%

Eggs

$1.66 MYR 6.78

$3.57 ₡1,603

-53.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.84 MYR 72.8

$7.43 ₡3,333

140.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 18.62

$10.52 ₡4,717

-56.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.80 MYR 39.98

$13.97 ₡6,265

-29.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 MYR 13.91

$2.35 ₡1,052

45.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.88

$1.61 ₡720

4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 MYR 9.48

$4.80 ₡2,152

-51.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.23

$1.61 ₡724

-4.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 MYR 5.46

$3.80 ₡1,703

-64.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.73

$3.69 ₡1,657

-55.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$1.13 ₡507

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$2.66 ₡1,191

-80.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 MYR 17.79

$5.18 ₡2,321

-15.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 MYR 56.8

$19.88 ₡8,916

-29.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 MYR 11.65

$2.90 ₡1,300

-1.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MYR 12.68

$3.63 ₡1,626

-14.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.08

$1.12 ₡504

-32.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.29 MYR 50.1

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-83.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 4.92

$2.14 ₡958

-43.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 MYR 2.91

$1.57 ₡703

-54.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 MYR 20.16

$8.52 ₡3,823

-42.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 MYR 3.35

$1.52 ₡682

-46.05%

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

$42.3K MYR 172.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

95.91%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

2.17%

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

$52.5 MYR 214

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-45.51%

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

$9.92 MYR 40.45

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-72.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.35 MYR 107

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-50.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.80 MYR 183

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-37.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.53 MYR 30.73

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-78.43%

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 MYR 20.05

$7.89 ₡3,539

-37.77%

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

$166 MYR 677

$494 ₡221.6K

-66.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,418 MYR 18.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-62.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 MYR 223

$53.9 ₡24.2K

1.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.33 MYR 66.6

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-70.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 333

$77.9 ₡34.9K

4.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 MYR 396

$79.6 ₡35.7K

22.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 MYR 1,615

$788 ₡353.4K

-49.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 MYR 1,375

$794 ₡356.2K

-57.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$744 MYR 3,035

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$502 MYR 2,047

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-64.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,919 MYR 7,828

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-72.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,012 MYR 4,129

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-17.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

8.62

-52.90%

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

Last update for Kajang, Selangor: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kajang, Selangor

$337 34.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 136% $457

Groceries & Markets

Kajang, Selangor

$256 25.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 37.7% $96

Eating Out

Kajang, Selangor

$119 12.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 77.9% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Kajang, Selangor

$112 11.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 6.9% $7.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kajang, Selangor

$89 9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 109% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Kajang, Selangor

$55 5.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 59.9% $33

Getting Around

Kajang, Selangor

$20 2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 334% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $396 in Kajang, Selangor versus $788 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 Kajang, Selangor versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $352 – making Kajang, Selangor the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kajang, Selangor

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

01:01 1:01 AM

14 h behind Kajang, Selangor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,047,356

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 18, 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 18, 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

Kajang, Selangor Nosara 18,350 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Kajang, Selangor
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

Kajang, Selangor vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $988 in Kajang, Selangor, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 86% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,482 per month in Kajang, Selangor and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kajang, Selangor, 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 $19.00 in Kajang, Selangor and $61.0 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 $988 in Kajang, Selangor and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 86%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kajang, Selangor, where all-in costs run around $988, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kajang, Selangor it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $988 in Kajang, Selangor to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Kajang, Selangor. 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.