Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Karawang

For one person, living is cheaper in Karawang: $453 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Karawang
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Karawang Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Karawang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Karawang

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $453 in Karawang, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Karawang $453

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $821 in Karawang, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Karawang $821

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,188 in Karawang, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Karawang $1,188

Nosara costs about 306% more than Karawang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Karawang is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

808.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$11.11 Rp 200.0K

450.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$3.43 Rp 61.7K

119.24%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.52 Rp 27.3K

190.13%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.41 Rp 7,379

324.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.20 Rp 3,668

555.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.09 Rp 55.6K

6.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.10 Rp 55.8K

44.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

38.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.02 Rp 18.3K

196.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

206.10%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

153.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$2.75 Rp 49.4K

170.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.93 Rp 52.8K

259.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.01 Rp 144.2K

74.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

29.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.04 Rp 18.6K

54.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.25 Rp 22.4K

284.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.52 Rp 9,404

209.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

326.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

146.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.70 Rp 12.6K

61.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.44 Rp 7,926

504.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

95.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$22.50 Rp 405.0K

-11.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

58.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

12.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

89.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

145.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.51 Rp 9,216

207.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.14 Rp 20.4K

647.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.91 Rp 16.5K

67.03%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.5K Rp 387.0M

0.50%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$28.6K Rp 514.5M

20.76%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$34.09 Rp 613.6K

182.46%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$4.43 Rp 79.7K

710.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$12.32 Rp 221.7K

334.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$20.52 Rp 369.4K

248.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$8.33 Rp 150.0K

319.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

174.91%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$43.73 Rp 787.2K

1029.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,398 Rp 151.2M

41.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$16.72 Rp 301.0K

222.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$27.84 Rp 501.2K

99.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$49.09 Rp 883.6K

58.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$48.42 Rp 871.6K

64.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$141 Rp 2.5M

457.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$68.4 Rp 1.2M

1061.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$535 Rp 9.6M

635.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$369 Rp 6.6M

284.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,178 Rp 21.2M

486.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$717 Rp 12.9M

70.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$412 Rp 7.4M

109.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.38

-24.25%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karawang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Karawang

$68 15.1% 91.4% $726

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Karawang

$175 38.5% 50.4% $178

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Karawang

$64 14% 70% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Karawang

$51 11.2% 72.6% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Karawang

$64 14.1% 46.8% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Karawang

$26 5.8% 69.9% $61

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Karawang

$5.8 * 1.3% 93.4% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $141 in Karawang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 110% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $11.00 in Karawang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $175 – making Karawang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇩 Karawang

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

20:11 8:11 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

273,472

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Karawang 18,530 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Karawang

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 Karawang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 306% more than Karawang, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $680 in Karawang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karawang, 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 $1,839 in Nosara and $453 in Karawang. That's a gap of about 306%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $43.73 in Karawang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Karawang, where all-in costs run around $453, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Karawang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Karawang costs $453 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Karawang. 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.