Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kedah and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
Learn more

Kedah Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $877 in Kedah versus $1,846 in Nosara.

Kedah $877
Nosara $1,846

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,399 in Kedah versus $2,833 in Nosara.

Kedah $1,399
Nosara $2,833

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,920 in Kedah versus $3,820 in Nosara.

Kedah $1,920
Nosara $3,820

Living in Kedah costs roughly 52% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.19

$12.36 ₡5,575

-69.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.32 MYR 50.4

$60.8 ₡27.4K

-79.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 MYR 18.65

$7.88 ₡3,557

-42.13%

Cappuccino

$2.91 MYR 11.90

$4.40 ₡1,986

-33.86%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.15

$1.72 ₡776

-55.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.60

$1.34 ₡603

-70.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.31

$3.34 ₡1,505

26.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MYR 17.80

$4.54 ₡2,048

-3.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.68

$1.64 ₡739

14.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.33

$3.16 ₡1,426

-66.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 7.01

$2.39 ₡1,080

-28.03%

Eggs

$2.19 MYR 8.94

$3.47 ₡1,564

-36.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 MYR 55.4

$7.13 ₡3,217

90.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.75

$10.32 ₡4,655

-57.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 MYR 36.13

$13.97 ₡6,302

-36.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MYR 12.02

$2.29 ₡1,031

28.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.67

$1.62 ₡731

0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MYR 11.24

$4.81 ₡2,169

-42.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.94

$1.68 ₡758

-13.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 MYR 4.50

$3.91 ₡1,765

-71.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.45

$3.63 ₡1,640

-69.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.63

$1.13 ₡509

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.34

$2.63 ₡1,188

-78.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.62 MYR 18.89

$5.02 ₡2,267

-7.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.76 MYR 76.7

$19.71 ₡8,893

-4.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.19

$2.91 ₡1,314

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 MYR 21.79

$3.54 ₡1,597

50.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.11

$1.21 ₡545

-37.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.85 MYR 52.5

$73.8 ₡33.3K

-82.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.78

$2.15 ₡969

-22.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.54

$1.63 ₡738

-76.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.29 MYR 29.79

$8.77 ₡3,958

-16.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 MYR 2.47

$1.55 ₡700

-61.29%

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

$45.6K MYR 186.5K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

34.68%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.5K

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-6.83%

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

$36.47 MYR 149

$95.2 ₡43.0K

-61.70%

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

$9.66 MYR 39.47

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-73.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 MYR 120

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-43.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.63 MYR 142

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-48.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.85 MYR 28.01

$35.55 ₡16.0K

-80.73%

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 MYR 19.59

$7.54 ₡3,404

-36.47%

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

$388 MYR 1,584

$496 ₡224.0K

-21.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MYR 43.6K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

-9.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 241

$55.1 ₡24.9K

6.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.76 MYR 142

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-38.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 334

$77.8 ₡35.1K

4.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.7 MYR 289

$79.1 ₡35.7K

-10.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,462

$817 ₡368.9K

-56.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 MYR 1,054

$806 ₡363.6K

-67.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 MYR 2,911

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-82.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 MYR 2,479

$1,429 ₡644.9K

-57.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 MYR 7,889

$7,068 ₡3.2M

-72.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,258 MYR 5,140

$1,197 ₡540.1K

5.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,339 MYR 5,473

$888 ₡400.7K

50.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

8.62

-53.13%

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

Last update for Kedah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kedah

$258 29.4%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 212% $548

Groceries & Markets

Kedah

$257 29.3%

Nosara

$351 19% 36.9% $95

Eating Out

Kedah

$113 12.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 88.9% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Kedah

$111 12.6%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 9% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kedah

$76 8.6%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 143% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Kedah

$44 5%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 86.9% $38

Getting Around

Kedah

$19 2.2%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 357% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $358 in Kedah and $817 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kedah pays 51% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $12 in Kedah vs $61 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $351 per month, with Kedah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kedah

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:57 8:57 PM

06:57 6:57 AM

14 h behind Kedah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

417,800

4,912

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kedah Nosara 18,110 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Kedah
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

Kedah vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kedah and Nosara differ by about 110% in total monthly costs ($877 vs $1,846 including rent). Kedah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 51% higher in Kedah, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $358 in Kedah versus $817 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $388 in Kedah versus $496 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $877 in Kedah versus $1,846 in Nosara, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kedah but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kedah 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, Kedah 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 Kedah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.