Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mataram and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mataram: $608 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Mataram
Learn more

Mataram Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Mataram

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$608

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $608 in Mataram versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Mataram $608
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $967 in Mataram versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Mataram $967
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,327 in Mataram versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Mataram $1,327
Nosara $3,814

Living in Mataram costs roughly 67% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mataram is 55% below, Nosara is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$0.93 Rp 16.8K

$12.34 ₡5,535

-92.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.22 Rp 166.0K

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-84.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.21 Rp 57.8K

$7.76 ₡3,481

-58.63%

Cappuccino

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

$4.44 ₡1,992

-66.89%

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

$0.44 Rp 7,889

$1.79 ₡803

-75.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 Rp 5,491

$1.29 ₡580

-75.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Rp 48.8K

$3.24 ₡1,451

-16.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

$4.43 ₡1,985

-22.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 Rp 24.9K

$1.55 ₡696

-10.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

$3.08 ₡1,380

-52.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

$2.53 ₡1,133

-68.38%

Eggs

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

$3.45 ₡1,546

-56.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.12 Rp 128.2K

$7.32 ₡3,284

-2.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.00 Rp 54.1K

$10.24 ₡4,594

-70.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.39 Rp 133.0K

$14.10 ₡6,326

-47.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$2.29 ₡1,027

-0.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 Rp 22.4K

$1.64 ₡737

-23.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

$4.79 ₡2,149

-64.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.1K

$1.64 ₡735

-21.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

$3.85 ₡1,727

-67.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 Rp 34.9K

$3.75 ₡1,681

-48.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 Rp 13.1K

$1.09 ₡488

-33.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,214

$2.59 ₡1,160

-84.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.63 Rp 47.3K

$5.12 ₡2,295

-48.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.99 Rp 377.9K

$19.92 ₡8,931

5.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 Rp 34.4K

$2.80 ₡1,255

-31.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 Rp 54.7K

$3.52 ₡1,580

-13.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,838

$1.22 ₡549

-77.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 8,960

$2.17 ₡973

-76.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 Rp 6,222

$1.56 ₡698

-77.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 Rp 48.9K

$8.67 ₡3,886

-68.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.62 Rp 11.2K

$1.55 ₡697

-60.00%

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

$23.8K Rp 428.7M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-31.06%

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

$30.6K Rp 551.3M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-20.96%

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

$66.0 Rp 1.2M

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-30.44%

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

$3.96 Rp 71.3K

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-89.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.47 Rp 350.5K

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-63.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.35 Rp 348.4K

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-73.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.15 Rp 146.8K

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-77.13%

Cinema Ticket

$2.85 Rp 51.2K

$7.91 ₡3,548

-63.97%

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

$94.8 Rp 1.7M

$490 ₡219.9K

-80.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,572 Rp 136.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-36.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.19 Rp 795.3K

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-19.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.84 Rp 519.0K

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-48.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 Rp 1.3M

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-8.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 Rp 1.3M

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-8.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$225 Rp 4.0M

$801 ₡359.1K

-71.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$133 Rp 2.4M

$790 ₡354.1K

-83.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 Rp 9.5M

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-86.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 Rp 6.4M

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-74.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,184 Rp 21.3M

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-83.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$796 Rp 14.3M

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-35.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$222 Rp 4.0M

$887 ₡397.6K

-74.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

8.62

9.74%

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

Last update for Mataram: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mataram

$201 33.1%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 73.7% $148

Accommodation & Living

Mataram

$133 21.9%

Nosara

$790 43% 493% $657

Clothing & Footwear

Mataram

$98 16.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 23.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mataram

$89 14.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 106% $95

Eating Out

Mataram

$58 9.6%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 266% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Mataram

$25 4.1%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 258% $65

Getting Around

Mataram

$3.3 * 0.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 2589% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $225 in Mataram and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 299% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $9.00 in Mataram vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $350 per month, with Mataram cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Mataram

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

11:41 11:41 AM

14 h behind Mataram

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

402,843

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 20, 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 20, 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

Mataram Nosara 17,620 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Mataram
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

Mataram vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mataram and Nosara differ by about 202% in total monthly costs ($608 vs $1,835 including rent). Mataram is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 299% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $225 in Mataram versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $608 per month in Mataram versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 202% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $608 in Mataram versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mataram but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Mataram 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, Mataram 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 Mataram gentler on the wallet – expenses run 202% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.