Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nilai and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nilai: $944 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Nilai
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Nilai Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Nilai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$944

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $944 in Nilai versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Nilai $944
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,408 in Nilai versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Nilai $1,408
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,873 in Nilai versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Nilai $1,873
Nosara $3,814

Living in Nilai costs roughly 49% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nilai is 30% below, Nosara is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.61 MYR 14.71

$12.34 ₡5,535

-70.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.70 MYR 80.4

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-67.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.16 MYR 25.13

$7.76 ₡3,481

-20.62%

Cappuccino

$3.45 MYR 14.09

$4.44 ₡1,992

-22.30%

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

$0.81 MYR 3.32

$1.79 ₡803

-54.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.56

$1.29 ₡580

-70.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 MYR 14.54

$3.24 ₡1,451

9.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.29

$4.43 ₡1,985

1.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 MYR 7.05

$1.55 ₡696

11.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 MYR 5.65

$3.08 ₡1,380

-55.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.84

$2.53 ₡1,133

-43.48%

Eggs

$2.22 MYR 9.06

$3.45 ₡1,546

-35.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.82 MYR 56.4

$7.32 ₡3,284

88.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 MYR 17.61

$10.24 ₡4,594

-57.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 MYR 40.11

$14.10 ₡6,326

-30.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 MYR 13.15

$2.29 ₡1,027

40.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.91

$1.64 ₡737

3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 MYR 10.07

$4.79 ₡2,149

-48.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 MYR 6.33

$1.64 ₡735

-5.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.21

$3.85 ₡1,727

-66.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 MYR 5.27

$3.75 ₡1,681

-65.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.81

$1.09 ₡488

8.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.29

$2.59 ₡1,160

-78.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.97 MYR 20.29

$5.12 ₡2,295

-2.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 MYR 85.0

$19.92 ₡8,931

4.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 MYR 10.60

$2.80 ₡1,255

-7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MYR 17.75

$3.52 ₡1,580

23.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MYR 2.99

$1.22 ₡549

-40.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.51 MYR 55.1

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-81.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 MYR 4.57

$2.17 ₡973

-48.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MYR 2.11

$1.56 ₡698

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.45 MYR 34.46

$8.67 ₡3,886

-2.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 MYR 3.93

$1.55 ₡697

-38.06%

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

$42.8K MYR 174.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

23.77%

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

$30.6K MYR 125.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-20.90%

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

$49.33 MYR 201

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-47.98%

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

$9.58 MYR 39.06

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-73.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.03 MYR 114

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-47.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.98 MYR 151

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-49.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.36 MYR 25.94

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-82.15%

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 MYR 19.55

$7.91 ₡3,548

-39.44%

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

$186 MYR 759

$490 ₡219.9K

-62.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,358 MYR 25.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-46.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 MYR 202

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-9.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.46 MYR 153

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-32.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 MYR 308

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-6.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.2 MYR 331

$77.9 ₡34.9K

4.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 MYR 1,558

$801 ₡359.1K

-52.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 MYR 1,210

$790 ₡354.1K

-62.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$665 MYR 2,715

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-83.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MYR 1,947

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-66.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,219 MYR 9,052

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-68.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$979 MYR 3,993

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-20.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,393 MYR 5,683

$887 ₡397.6K

57.14%

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 Nilai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nilai

$297 31.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 166% $493

Groceries & Markets

Nilai

$263 27.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 32.7% $86

Eating Out

Nilai

$120 12.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 76.7% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Nilai

$110 11.6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 10.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nilai

$87 9.2%

Nosara

$184 10% 112% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Nilai

$47 4.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 92.5% $43

Getting Around

Nilai

$20 2.1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 340% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $382 in Nilai and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nilai pays 57% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20.00 in Nilai vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $350 per month, with Nilai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Nilai

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

15:57 3:57 PM

14 h behind Nilai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,612

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Nilai Nosara 18,370 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nilai
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

Nilai vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nilai wins on cost – living expenses run 95% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nilai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 57% higher in Nilai, 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: $382 in Nilai versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $944 per month in Nilai versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nilai runs roughly 447% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $944 in Nilai versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nilai but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Nilai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nilai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $944 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nilai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nilai 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 Nilai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.