Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kota Kinabalu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Kinabalu: $917 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
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Kota Kinabalu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $917 in Kota Kinabalu.

Nosara $1,837
Kota Kinabalu $917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,429 in Kota Kinabalu.

Nosara $2,775
Kota Kinabalu $1,429

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,941 in Kota Kinabalu.

Nosara $3,712
Kota Kinabalu $1,941

Living in Nosara is roughly 100% more expensive than in Kota Kinabalu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Kota Kinabalu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$3.57 MYR 14.59

242.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$19.54 MYR 79.8

208.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$4.92 MYR 20.09

53.25%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.63 MYR 10.74

63.88%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.60 MYR 2.44

186.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.30 MYR 1.22

350.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.39 MYR 9.75

35.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.74 MYR 15.27

19.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.74 MYR 7.11

-9.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.28 MYR 5.23

147.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.26 MYR 9.23

7.08%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.46 MYR 14.13

3.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$28.33 MYR 116

-73.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$3.69 MYR 15.05

182.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$6.68 MYR 27.27

104.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.24 MYR 9.15

3.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.43 MYR 5.84

12.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.94 MYR 7.91

144.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.99 MYR 8.13

-16.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.67 MYR 6.81

122.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.13 MYR 8.71

67.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.94 MYR 3.84

17.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.47 MYR 1.93

442.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.92 MYR 20.10

0.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$15.84 MYR 64.7

26.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$3.63 MYR 14.81

-23.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.47 MYR 10.07

42.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.91 MYR 7.80

-37.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$41.92 MYR 171

71.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.91 MYR 7.82

17.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.23 MYR 0.94

573.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.76 MYR 3.11

106.58%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$42.1K MYR 172.1K

-48.26%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$35.6K MYR 145.5K

-2.80%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$70.5 MYR 288

32.59%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$9.69 MYR 39.56

262.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$32.36 MYR 132

59.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$52.3 MYR 214

36.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$3.09 MYR 12.64

1046.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$5.22 MYR 21.31

50.19%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$141 MYR 575

247.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$6,995 MYR 28.6K

69.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$81.5 MYR 333

-34.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$36.64 MYR 150

52.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$93.7 MYR 382

-15.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$48.75 MYR 199

61.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$425 MYR 1,735

85.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$193 MYR 788

304.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$679 MYR 2,771

468.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$368 MYR 1,501

282.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,848 MYR 7,546

277.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,099 MYR 4,489

9.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$592 MYR 2,419

47.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.9

121.03%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Kota Kinabalu

$193 20.9% 75.3% $587

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Kota Kinabalu

$288 31.1% 17.7% $62

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6% 53.2% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Kota Kinabalu

$113 12.2% 37.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Kota Kinabalu

$117 12.7% 2.6% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kota Kinabalu

$63 6.8% 27.9% $24

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kota Kinabalu

$53 5.7% 39.4% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $425 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 48% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $288 per month, with Kota Kinabalu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

18:36 6:36 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

500,425

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Kota Kinabalu 17,030 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kota Kinabalu

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 Kinabalu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kota Kinabalu wins on cost – living expenses run 100% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kota Kinabalu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 48% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $425 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kota Kinabalu runs roughly 72% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $141 in Kota Kinabalu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $917 in Kota Kinabalu versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kota Kinabalu but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kota Kinabalu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kota Kinabalu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $917 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kota Kinabalu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Kota Kinabalu 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 Kota Kinabalu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.