Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kota Bharu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Bharu: $692 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Kota Bharu
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Kota Bharu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Kota Bharu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kota Bharu

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $692 in Kota Bharu, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Kota Bharu $692

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,072 in Kota Bharu, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Kota Bharu $1,072

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,452 in Kota Bharu, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Kota Bharu $1,452

Nosara costs about 166% more than Kota Bharu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Kota Bharu is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.18 MYR 8.90

466.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$19.41 MYR 79.2

215.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.58 MYR 18.70

64.19%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.18 MYR 8.89

102.29%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.48 MYR 1.94

262.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.26 MYR 1.05

403.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.24 MYR 17.29

-22.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.49 MYR 18.33

-0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.62 MYR 6.62

-3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.92 MYR 3.74

228.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.83 MYR 3.39

202.41%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.61 MYR 6.58

121.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.74 MYR 56.1

-45.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.94 MYR 12.00

257.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.65 MYR 27.13

110.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.91 MYR 11.88

-19.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.50 MYR 6.12

7.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.73 MYR 11.15

75.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.13 MYR 4.60

42.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.97 MYR 3.94

291.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.12 MYR 4.59

229.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.14 MYR 4.64

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.45 MYR 1.84

491.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.34 MYR 13.61

55.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$19.00 MYR 77.5

4.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.91 MYR 11.88

-0.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$5.32 MYR 21.71

-31.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.77 MYR 3.12

45.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$12.33 MYR 50.3

489.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.73 MYR 7.05

23.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.37 MYR 1.53

324.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$3.69 MYR 15.04

130.89%

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

$31.5K MYR 128.5K

-31.37%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$29.0K MYR 118.2K

19.16%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$37.43 MYR 153

157.25%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$8.65 MYR 35.27

314.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$25.39 MYR 104

111.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$49.63 MYR 202

44.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.48 MYR 18.26

76.12%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$125 MYR 508

296.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.8K MYR 44.2K

9.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$54.5 MYR 222

-0.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.29 MYR 78.7

187.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$79.0 MYR 322

-1.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$69.6 MYR 284

14.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$248 MYR 1,010

218.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$122 MYR 499

548.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$673 MYR 2,745

485.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$224 MYR 913

534.14%

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

$299 MYR 1,221

188.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.04

113.37%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kota Bharu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Kota Bharu

$122 17.7% 84.6% $672

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Kota Bharu

$230 33.2% 34.9% $123

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Kota Bharu

$90 13.1% 57.3% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Kota Bharu

$71 10.3% 61.5% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Kota Bharu

$100 14.5% 16.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kota Bharu

$59 8.5% 32.9% $29

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Kota Bharu

$19 2.8% 78.2% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $248 in Kota Bharu. 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 189% 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 $19.00 in Kota Bharu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $230 – making Kota Bharu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇾 Kota Bharu

🕒 Local time

17:21 5:21 PM

07:21 7:21 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

568,900

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Kota Bharu 18,020 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kota Bharu

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 Kota Bharu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 166% more than Kota Bharu, 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 $1,037 in Kota Bharu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 489% less in Kota Bharu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $125 in Kota Bharu. 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 Kota Bharu, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kota Bharu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kota Bharu costs $692 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 Kota Bharu. 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.