Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Balikpapan

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikpapan: $668 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
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Balikpapan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Balikpapan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Balikpapan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $668 in Balikpapan.

Nosara $1,839
Balikpapan $668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,048 in Balikpapan.

Nosara $2,828
Balikpapan $1,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,428 in Balikpapan.

Nosara $3,818
Balikpapan $1,428

Living in Nosara is roughly 175% more expensive than in Balikpapan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Balikpapan is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$1.39 Rp 25.0K

788.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$10.95 Rp 197.1K

458.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$3.05 Rp 55.0K

146.56%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

224.26%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.37 Rp 6,712

370.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.38 Rp 6,871

244.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.25 Rp 40.4K

45.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

34.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.13 Rp 20.3K

38.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

182.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.16 Rp 20.8K

116.38%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.54 Rp 45.8K

40.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.38 Rp 132.8K

0.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.92 Rp 52.6K

260.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.04 Rp 144.7K

73.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.25 Rp 40.5K

4.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

23.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

172.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

26.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.26 Rp 22.7K

201.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

94.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.78 Rp 14.0K

44.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

269.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

174.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$20.83 Rp 374.9K

-4.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.87 Rp 33.7K

55.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.02 Rp 54.3K

20.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.29 Rp 5,219

286.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.15 Rp 20.7K

86.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.38 Rp 6,777

313.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.59 Rp 46.7K

228.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

97.40%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$23.4K Rp 420.6M

-7.52%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.0K Rp 558.8M

11.19%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$67.5 Rp 1.2M

42.69%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$4.36 Rp 78.4K

723.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$29.86 Rp 537.4K

79.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$23.74 Rp 427.4K

201.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$8.46 Rp 152.2K

312.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$2.84 Rp 51.1K

177.82%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$93.1 Rp 1.7M

430.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,570 Rp 154.3M

38.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$38.14 Rp 686.6K

41.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$18.66 Rp 335.9K

196.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$141 Rp 2.5M

-44.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

12.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$203 Rp 3.7M

288.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$148 Rp 2.7M

437.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$537 Rp 9.7M

633.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$361 Rp 6.5M

293.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,258 Rp 22.6M

449.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$818 Rp 14.7M

49.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$238 Rp 4.3M

263.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.46

-8.88%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Balikpapan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Balikpapan

$148 22.1% 81.4% $647

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Balikpapan

$206 30.9% 41.4% $146

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Balikpapan

$57 8.6% 72.9% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Balikpapan

$102 15.2% 45.3% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Balikpapan

$121 18.1% 0.6% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Balikpapan

$29 4.4% 66.3% $58

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Balikpapan

$4.2 * 0.6% 95.2% $83

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 $788 in Nosara and $203 in Balikpapan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 263% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $11.00 in Balikpapan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $206 per month, with Balikpapan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

15:10 3:10 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

701,066

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Balikpapan 17,340 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Balikpapan

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

Nosara vs Balikpapan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Balikpapan differ by about 175% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $668 including rent). Balikpapan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 263% higher in Nosara, 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: $788 in Nosara versus $203 in Balikpapan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $93.1 in Balikpapan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Balikpapan – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $668 in Balikpapan versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Balikpapan but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Balikpapan 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, Nosara and Balikpapan 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 Balikpapan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 175% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.