Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kemaman

For one person, living is cheaper in Kemaman: $877 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Kemaman
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Kemaman Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Kemaman

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kemaman

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $877 in Kemaman, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Kemaman $877

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,352 in Kemaman, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Kemaman $1,352

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,827 in Kemaman, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Kemaman $1,827

Nosara costs about 110% more than Kemaman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Kemaman is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.62 MYR 10.70

371.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$14.65 MYR 59.8

317.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.38 MYR 17.89

71.69%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.01 MYR 12.29

46.51%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.51 MYR 2.08

241.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.35 MYR 1.44

274.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.21 MYR 13.10

2.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.79 MYR 23.61

-22.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.89 MYR 7.70

-17.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.01 MYR 4.14

199.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.96 MYR 3.92

161.46%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.14 MYR 4.64

213.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.82 MYR 40.04

-24.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.28 MYR 13.39

220.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.63 MYR 39.27

45.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.53 MYR 14.41

-33.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.88 MYR 7.66

-14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.66 MYR 10.86

80.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.73 MYR 7.05

-6.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.15 MYR 8.78

76.74%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.02 MYR 8.23

82.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.43 MYR 5.82

-20.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.48 MYR 1.95

454.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.66 MYR 18.99

11.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$19.79 MYR 80.8

0.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.72 MYR 11.08

6.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$4.61 MYR 18.79

-21.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.73 MYR 2.98

53.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$12.09 MYR 49.32

500.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.23 MYR 5.02

73.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.38 MYR 1.56

313.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$8.88 MYR 36.22

-4.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.52 MYR 2.14

192.31%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$42.1K MYR 171.6K

-48.64%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.9K MYR 134.4K

4.76%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$48.98 MYR 200

96.59%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$8.30 MYR 33.87

332.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.03 MYR 110

98.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$41.79 MYR 170

71.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$7.05 MYR 28.75

395.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.87 MYR 19.88

62.01%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$124 MYR 507

297.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.4K MYR 42.5K

13.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$51.5 MYR 210

4.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$30.07 MYR 123

84.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$76.7 MYR 313

1.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$85.5 MYR 349

-6.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$450 MYR 1,837

75.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$267 MYR 1,090

197.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$772 MYR 3,148

410.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$532 MYR 2,169

166.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,748 MYR 7,129

295.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,220 MYR 4,978

0.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.51

91.13%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kemaman: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Kemaman

$267 30.5% 66.4% $527

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Kemaman

$245 27.9% 30.5% $108

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Kemaman

$101 11.6% 52.2% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Kemaman

$84 9.6% 54.6% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Kemaman

$110 12.5% 8.7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kemaman

$52 5.9% 41% $36

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Kemaman

$18 2.1% 79.2% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $450 in Kemaman. 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 $15.00 in Kemaman. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $245 – making Kemaman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇾 Kemaman

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

12:03 12:03 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

215,582

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Kemaman 18,140 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kemaman

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 Kemaman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 110%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,315 in Kemaman. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $15.00 in Kemaman. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $877 in Kemaman. That's a gap of about 110%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kemaman, where all-in costs run around $877, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kemaman it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kemaman – 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 Kemaman. 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.