Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Medan: $613 a month against $1,839 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 Medan
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Medan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $613 in Medan versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Medan $613
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $940 in Medan versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Medan $940
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,266 in Medan versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Medan $1,266
Nosara $3,818

Living in Medan costs roughly 67% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medan is 55% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-86.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-86.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

$7.52 ₡3,373

-60.77%

Cappuccino

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

$4.41 ₡1,978

-65.31%

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

$0.35 Rp 6,215

$1.74 ₡780

-79.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,534

$1.31 ₡587

-80.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

$3.28 ₡1,471

-49.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

$4.47 ₡2,004

-19.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$1.56 ₡701

-28.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$3.02 ₡1,355

-60.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

$2.51 ₡1,125

-67.73%

Eggs

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

$3.57 ₡1,603

-63.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

$7.43 ₡3,333

9.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-65.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-54.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

$2.35 ₡1,052

2.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

$1.61 ₡720

-34.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

$4.80 ₡2,152

-70.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

$1.61 ₡724

-42.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$3.80 ₡1,703

-77.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

$3.69 ₡1,657

-51.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 Rp 6,905

$1.13 ₡507

-66.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,872

$2.66 ₡1,191

-83.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

$5.18 ₡2,321

-44.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-20.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

$2.90 ₡1,300

-36.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

$3.63 ₡1,626

-17.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,816

$1.12 ₡504

-75.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-91.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 Rp 9,186

$2.14 ₡958

-76.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 Rp 3,465

$1.57 ₡703

-87.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

$1.52 ₡682

-47.37%

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

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

14.17%

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

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-6.67%

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

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-11.89%

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

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-91.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-56.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-76.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-75.91%

Cinema Ticket

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

$7.89 ₡3,539

-58.30%

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

$112 Rp 2.0M

$494 ₡221.6K

-77.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-85.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

0.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-30.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 Rp 1.9M

$77.9 ₡34.9K

38.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Rp 2.0M

$79.6 ₡35.7K

39.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$233 Rp 4.2M

$788 ₡353.4K

-70.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

$794 ₡356.2K

-88.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 Rp 8.9M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-87.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 Rp 3.8M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-85.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-83.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$560 Rp 10.1M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-54.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$864 ₡387.3K

-75.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.25

8.62

7.31%

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

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Medan

$181 29.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 94.8% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Medan

$140 22.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medan

$112 18.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 66.5% $74

Accommodation & Living

Medan

$90 14.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 785% $705

Eating Out

Medan

$59 9.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 261% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Medan

$24 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 271% $64

Getting Around

Medan

$8.5 1.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 929% $79

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $233 in Medan and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 301% 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: $8.00 in Medan vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $181 vs $352 per month, with Medan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Medan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

17:14 5:14 PM

13 h behind Medan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,097,610

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 17, 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 17, 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

Medan Nosara 18,430 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medan
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

Medan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 200% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 301% 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: $233 in Medan versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medan runs roughly 1125% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $112 in Medan versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $613 in Medan versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medan but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Medan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Medan 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 Medan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 200% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.