Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bukit Mertajam

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $623 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bukit Mertajam

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 Bukit Mertajam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $623 in Bukit Mertajam.

Nosara $1,839
Bukit Mertajam $623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $979 in Bukit Mertajam.

Nosara $2,828
Bukit Mertajam $979

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,335 in Bukit Mertajam.

Nosara $3,818
Bukit Mertajam $1,335

Living in Nosara is roughly 195% more expensive than in Bukit Mertajam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Bukit Mertajam is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$1.93 MYR 7.87

539.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$20.63 MYR 84.2

196.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$3.93 MYR 16.03

91.35%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.14 MYR 12.80

40.45%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.72 MYR 2.93

141.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.47 MYR 1.93

178.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.30 MYR 17.52

-23.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.05 MYR 24.69

-26.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.12 MYR 4.58

169.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.94 MYR 7.91

29.38%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.52 MYR 10.26

41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$14.07 MYR 57.4

-47.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.34 MYR 17.71

142.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.65 MYR 39.35

44.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.49 MYR 14.24

-32.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.79 MYR 7.32

-10.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.31 MYR 9.42

107.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.53 MYR 6.23

5.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.33 MYR 5.42

185.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.41 MYR 5.76

161.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.12 MYR 4.57

0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.67 MYR 2.72

297.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.32 MYR 17.64

19.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$19.48 MYR 79.5

2.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.65 MYR 14.91

-20.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$5.05 MYR 20.60

-28.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.19 MYR 4.84

79.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.25 MYR 5.11

25.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$5.03 MYR 20.50

69.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.87 MYR 3.54

74.71%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$41.2K MYR 168.3K

-47.61%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$34.4K MYR 140.4K

0.29%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$62.4 MYR 255

54.21%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$8.54 MYR 34.85

320.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$26.31 MYR 107

103.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.06 MYR 20.65

55.93%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$242 MYR 989

103.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$13.0K MYR 52.9K

-8.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$71.6 MYR 292

-24.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$41.95 MYR 171

32.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$87.5 MYR 357

-10.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$97.3 MYR 397

-18.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$567 MYR 2,312

52.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.18

106.22%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Bukit Mertajam

$271 43.5% 23.1% $81

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Bukit Mertajam

$103 16.6% 51.3% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Bukit Mertajam

$97 15.6% 47.6% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Bukit Mertajam

$134 21.5% 11.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6% 88.4% $77

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Bukit Mertajam

$7.5 * 1.2% 91.4% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

Nosara pays 52% 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 $21.00 in Bukit Mertajam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $271 per month, with Bukit Mertajam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🕒 Local time

20:37 8:37 PM

10:37 10:37 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

212,329

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, 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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Bukit Mertajam 18,180 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bukit Mertajam

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 Bukit Mertajam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Bukit Mertajam differ by about 195% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $623 including rent). Bukit Mertajam is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 52% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $623 in Bukit Mertajam – a 195% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $623 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bukit Mertajam but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Bukit Mertajam 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 Bukit Mertajam 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 Bukit Mertajam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 195% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.