Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karawang and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Karawang: $453 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Karawang
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Karawang Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Karawang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$453

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $453 per month in Karawang vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Karawang $453
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $821 per month in Karawang vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Karawang $821
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,188 per month in Karawang vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Karawang $1,188
Nosara $3,818

Karawang is about 75% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Karawang sits 66% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-88.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.11 Rp 200.0K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-81.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.43 Rp 61.7K

$7.52 ₡3,373

-54.39%

Cappuccino

$1.52 Rp 27.3K

$4.41 ₡1,978

-65.53%

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

$0.41 Rp 7,379

$1.74 ₡780

-76.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 Rp 3,668

$1.31 ₡587

-84.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 Rp 55.6K

$3.28 ₡1,471

-5.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 Rp 55.8K

$4.47 ₡2,004

-30.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

$1.56 ₡701

-27.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 Rp 18.3K

$3.02 ₡1,355

-66.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

$2.51 ₡1,125

-67.33%

Eggs

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

$3.57 ₡1,603

-60.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.75 Rp 49.4K

$7.43 ₡3,333

-62.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.93 Rp 52.8K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-72.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.01 Rp 144.2K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-42.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

$2.35 ₡1,052

-22.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 Rp 18.6K

$1.61 ₡720

-35.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 Rp 22.4K

$4.80 ₡2,152

-73.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 Rp 9,404

$1.61 ₡724

-67.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

$3.80 ₡1,703

-76.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

$3.69 ₡1,657

-59.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 Rp 12.6K

$1.13 ₡507

-38.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,926

$2.66 ₡1,191

-83.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$5.18 ₡2,321

-48.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.50 Rp 405.0K

$19.88 ₡8,916

13.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

$2.90 ₡1,300

-36.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$3.63 ₡1,626

-11.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

$1.12 ₡504

-47.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

$2.14 ₡958

-59.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 Rp 9,216

$1.57 ₡703

-67.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 Rp 20.4K

$8.52 ₡3,823

-86.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 Rp 16.5K

$1.52 ₡682

-40.13%

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

$21.5K Rp 387.0M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-0.50%

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

$28.6K Rp 514.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-17.19%

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

$34.09 Rp 613.6K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-64.60%

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

$4.43 Rp 79.7K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-87.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.32 Rp 221.7K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-77.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.52 Rp 369.4K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-71.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.33 Rp 150.0K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-76.14%

Cinema Ticket

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

$7.89 ₡3,539

-63.62%

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

$43.73 Rp 787.2K

$494 ₡221.6K

-91.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,398 Rp 151.2M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-29.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.72 Rp 301.0K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-69.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.84 Rp 501.2K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-49.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.09 Rp 883.6K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-37.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.42 Rp 871.6K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-39.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$141 Rp 2.5M

$788 ₡353.4K

-82.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.4 Rp 1.2M

$794 ₡356.2K

-91.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 Rp 9.6M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-86.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 Rp 6.6M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-73.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,178 Rp 21.2M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-82.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$717 Rp 12.9M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-41.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$412 Rp 7.4M

$864 ₡387.3K

-52.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

8.62

32.02%

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

Last update for Karawang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Karawang

$175 38.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 102% $178

Accommodation & Living

Karawang

$68 15.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 1061% $726

Clothing & Footwear

Karawang

$64 14.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 87.8% $56

Eating Out

Karawang

$64 14%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 234% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karawang

$51 11.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 265% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Karawang

$26 5.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 233% $61

Getting Around

Karawang

$5.8 * 1.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1405% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $141 in Karawang 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.

Salaries run about 110% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Karawang versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $175 vs $352 – making Karawang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Karawang

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

04:17 4:17 AM

13 h behind Karawang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

273,472

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 18, 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 18, 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

Karawang Nosara 18,530 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Karawang
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

Karawang vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 306% more than Karawang, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $680 per month in Karawang 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 Karawang, 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 $453 in Karawang and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 306%.

Kindergarten costs $43.73 per month in Karawang and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Karawang, where all-in costs run around $453, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Karawang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Karawang costs $453 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Karawang. 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.