Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Damansara and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Damansara: $963 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Kota Damansara
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Kota Damansara Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Kota Damansara

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$963

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $963 per month in Kota Damansara vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Kota Damansara $963
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,455 per month in Kota Damansara vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Kota Damansara $1,455
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,946 per month in Kota Damansara vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Kota Damansara $1,946
Nosara $3,818

Kota Damansara is about 48% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kota Damansara sits 29% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.79 MYR 19.55

$12.35 ₡5,539

-61.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.44 MYR 79.3

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-68.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 MYR 19.63

$7.52 ₡3,373

-36.04%

Cappuccino

$2.97 MYR 12.10

$4.41 ₡1,978

-32.65%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.22

$1.74 ₡780

-54.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 MYR 2.05

$1.31 ₡587

-61.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.50 MYR 18.36

$3.28 ₡1,471

37.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 MYR 25.09

$4.47 ₡2,004

37.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.09

$1.56 ₡701

11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.31

$3.02 ₡1,355

-64.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.91

$2.51 ₡1,125

-42.23%

Eggs

$1.73 MYR 7.07

$3.57 ₡1,603

-51.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.90 MYR 56.7

$7.43 ₡3,333

87.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 MYR 18.23

$10.52 ₡4,717

-57.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.94 MYR 40.56

$13.97 ₡6,265

-28.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 MYR 13.72

$2.35 ₡1,052

42.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.06

$1.61 ₡720

7.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 MYR 9.43

$4.80 ₡2,152

-51.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 MYR 6.27

$1.61 ₡724

-4.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.19

$3.80 ₡1,703

-66.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.68

$3.69 ₡1,657

-62.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MYR 4.76

$1.13 ₡507

3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.27

$2.66 ₡1,191

-78.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 MYR 17.79

$5.18 ₡2,321

-15.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 MYR 60.1

$19.88 ₡8,916

-25.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 MYR 13.03

$2.90 ₡1,300

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 MYR 17.31

$3.63 ₡1,626

16.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MYR 2.59

$1.12 ₡504

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.02 MYR 53.1

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-82.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 MYR 3.85

$2.14 ₡958

-56.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$1.57 ₡703

-54.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 MYR 20.53

$8.52 ₡3,823

-40.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$1.52 ₡682

-42.76%

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

$41.0K MYR 167.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

89.95%

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

$34.4K MYR 140.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-0.39%

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

$52.0 MYR 212

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-46.00%

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

$8.82 MYR 35.97

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-75.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.10 MYR 106

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-51.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.68 MYR 182

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-37.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.57 MYR 30.90

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-78.32%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 MYR 20.33

$7.89 ₡3,539

-36.88%

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

$164 MYR 667

$494 ₡221.6K

-66.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,538 MYR 18.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-61.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 MYR 221

$53.9 ₡24.2K

0.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.64 MYR 67.9

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-69.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 MYR 338

$77.9 ₡34.9K

6.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 MYR 384

$79.6 ₡35.7K

18.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 MYR 1,841

$788 ₡353.4K

-42.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 MYR 1,267

$794 ₡356.2K

-60.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 MYR 2,818

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-82.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$537 MYR 2,191

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-62.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,037 MYR 8,308

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-70.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,083 MYR 4,417

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-11.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$853 MYR 3,478

$864 ₡387.3K

-1.26%

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 Kota Damansara: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kota Damansara

$311 32.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 156% $484

Groceries & Markets

Kota Damansara

$251 26%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 40.6% $102

Eating Out

Kota Damansara

$128 13.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 65.1% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Kota Damansara

$112 11.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 7.6% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kota Damansara

$87 9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 114% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Kota Damansara

$55 5.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 59.9% $33

Getting Around

Kota Damansara

$20 2.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 334% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $451 in Kota Damansara 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 1% 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 $19.00 in Kota Damansara versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $352 – making Kota Damansara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kota Damansara

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

02:11 2:11 AM

14 h behind Kota Damansara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

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

Kota Damansara Nosara 18,350 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Kota Damansara
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

Kota Damansara vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 91% more than Kota Damansara, 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 $1,444 per month in Kota Damansara 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 Kota Damansara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 458% less in Kota Damansara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $164 per month in Kota Damansara 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 Kota Damansara, where all-in costs run around $963, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kota Damansara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kota Damansara costs $963 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 Kota Damansara. 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.