Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Gili Air

For one person, living is cheaper in Gili Air: $812 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Gili Air
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Gili Air Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Gili Air

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Gili Air

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 Gili Air actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $812 in Gili Air, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Gili Air $812

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,337 in Gili Air, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Gili Air $1,337

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,861 in Gili Air, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Gili Air $1,861

Nosara costs about 126% more than Gili Air, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Gili Air is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

570.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$19.34 Rp 348.1K

217.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

159.53%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

210.49%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

105.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.44 Rp 7,928

193.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

121.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.44 Rp 43.9K

81.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

37.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.60 Rp 28.7K

92.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

212.35%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

134.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$12.29 Rp 221.3K

-40.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$2.82 Rp 50.7K

263.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$8.56 Rp 154.0K

64.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.49 Rp 44.9K

-8.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.14 Rp 20.5K

43.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.68 Rp 30.2K

185.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

19.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.34 Rp 24.0K

187.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

119.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

49.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.38 Rp 6,869

581.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$1.59 Rp 28.7K

222.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$15.78 Rp 284.0K

26.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.69 Rp 30.5K

65.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

70.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.18 Rp 3,182

577.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$6.64 Rp 119.6K

1012.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$0.38 Rp 6,851

471.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.34 Rp 6,206

358.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$5.04 Rp 90.6K

72.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

118.31%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.0K Rp 342.1M

81.79%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$25.7K Rp 461.8M

51.04%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$64.5 Rp 1.2M

47.08%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$5.21 Rp 93.7K

593.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$14.68 Rp 264.3K

261.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$32.16 Rp 578.8K

129.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$10.43 Rp 187.8K

241.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$2.51 Rp 45.1K

215.14%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$336 Rp 6.0M

45.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$3,931 Rp 70.8M

202.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$37.54 Rp 675.7K

45.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$28.70 Rp 516.5K

94.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$63.6 Rp 1.1M

26.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$63.0 Rp 1.1M

23.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$543 Rp 9.8M

47.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$331 Rp 6.0M

138.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,705 Rp 30.7M

134.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$807 Rp 14.5M

74.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,306 Rp 23.5M

440.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,074 Rp 19.3M

15.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

13.78

-37.45%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Gili Air: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Gili Air

$331 40.8% 58% $458

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Gili Air

$205 25.2% 41.4% $145

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Gili Air

$58 7.2% 72.6% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Gili Air

$84 10.4% 54.2% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Gili Air

$87 10.7% 28.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Gili Air

$37 4.6% 58.5% $52

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Gili Air

$9.5 1.2% 89.4% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $543 in Gili Air. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $19.00 in Gili Air. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $205 – making Gili Air the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇩 Gili Air

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

23:20 11:20 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,800

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Gili Air 17,620 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Gili Air

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 Gili Air: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 126%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,218 in Gili Air. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gili Air, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,835 in Nosara and $812 in Gili Air. That's a gap of about 126%.

Public transport costs about 1013% less in Gili Air. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gili Air, where all-in costs run around $812, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Gili Air it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gili Air – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Gili Air. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.