Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kuala Belait

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Belait: $1,699 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kuala Belait

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,699 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Kuala Belait $1,699

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $2,569 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Kuala Belait $2,569

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $3,438 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Kuala Belait $3,438

Nosara costs about 8% more than Kuala Belait, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nosara and Kuala Belait sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Kuala Belait by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$7.91 BND 10.12

54.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$46.43 BND 59.4

29.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.85 BND 10.05

-3.95%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 BND 2.57

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 BND 3.06

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.41 BND 5.64

-2.27%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.89 BND 1.15

93.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.50 BND 0.64

170.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.84 BND 2.36

-14.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.43 BND 3.12

30.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.25 BND 2.88

7.56%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.58 BND 3.31

38.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$18.59 BND 23.80

-60.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$9.85 BND 12.61

5.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$24.88 BND 31.85

-45.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$4.69 BND 6.00

-50.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.17 BND 2.78

-25.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$4.83 BND 6.18

-1.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.47 BND 3.17

-32.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.71 BND 2.19

117.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.90 BND 3.71

23.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$5.54 BND 7.09

-80.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.93 BND 1.19

174.19%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.59 BND 14.84

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.99 BND 7.67

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$7.86 BND 10.07

-37.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$3.99 BND 5.11

-43.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$3.43 BND 4.39

-54.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$11.59 BND 14.84

-23.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.35 BND 0.45

348.57%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$30.7K BND 39.3K

-28.95%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$27.2K BND 34.9K

27.12%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$38.45 BND 49.23

143.04%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$21.58 BND 27.63

62.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$64.4 BND 82.4

-19.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$95.9 BND 123

-25.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$27.34 BND 35.00

29.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$5.51 BND 7.05

42.29%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$217 BND 278

125.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$9,398 BND 12.0K

26.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$74.8 BND 95.8

-28.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$101 BND 129

-44.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$153 BND 196

-48.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$71.4 BND 91.4

10.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$753 BND 964

4.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$771 BND 987

1.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,193 BND 1,527

223.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,177 BND 1,506

19.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$3,398 BND 4,350

-74.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.88

122.16%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Kuala Belait

$771 45.3% 1.1% $8.8

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Kuala Belait

$354 20.8% 1.3% $4.6

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Kuala Belait

$145 8.5% 30.6% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Kuala Belait

$124 7.3% 30.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Kuala Belait

$180 10.6% 49.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kuala Belait

$107 6.3% 22.8% $20

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kuala Belait

$21 * 1.2% 75.7% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $753 in Kuala Belait. 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 288% higher in Kuala Belait, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $46.00 in Kuala Belait. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $354 in Kuala Belait – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

16:35 4:35 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

31,178

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.696 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, 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 = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.696 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Kuala Belait 17,280 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kuala Belait

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 Kuala Belait: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,699 in Kuala Belait – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $2,549 in Kuala Belait. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuala Belait, 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 $1,837 in Nosara and $1,699 in Kuala Belait. That's a gap of about 8%.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $217 in Kuala Belait. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Kuala Belait, where all-in costs run around $1,699, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Kuala Belait it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,699 in Kuala Belait to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Kuala Belait. 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.