Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kuala Lipis

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Lipis: $939 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lipis
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Kuala Lipis Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Kuala Lipis

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$939

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $939 in Kuala Lipis, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Kuala Lipis $939

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,395 in Kuala Lipis, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Kuala Lipis $1,395

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,852 in Kuala Lipis, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Kuala Lipis $1,852

Nosara costs about 96% more than Kuala Lipis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Kuala Lipis is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.72 MYR 15.17

231.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$24.25 MYR 98.9

152.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.97 MYR 20.26

51.31%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.12 MYR 12.74

41.35%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.85 MYR 3.47

104.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.45 MYR 1.83

191.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.37 MYR 13.76

-2.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.84 MYR 23.84

-23.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.93 MYR 7.86

-19.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.07 MYR 4.36

182.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.47 MYR 6.00

70.75%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.86 MYR 7.57

91.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.63 MYR 39.28

-22.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.30 MYR 13.45

218.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.46 MYR 38.59

47.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.47 MYR 14.16

-32.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.87 MYR 7.64

-13.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.63 MYR 10.75

82.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.74 MYR 7.09

-7.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.10 MYR 8.59

80.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.95 MYR 7.95

89.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.44 MYR 5.89

-21.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.51 MYR 2.09

421.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.55 MYR 18.56

13.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$19.95 MYR 81.4

-0.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.76 MYR 11.28

5.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$4.68 MYR 19.11

-22.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.70 MYR 2.86

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$14.01 MYR 57.1

418.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.21 MYR 4.93

76.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.38 MYR 1.57

313.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$8.96 MYR 36.55

-4.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.86 MYR 3.52

76.74%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$42.4K MYR 172.9K

-49.03%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.6K MYR 133.1K

5.79%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$50.1 MYR 205

92.04%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$8.01 MYR 32.68

348.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$26.76 MYR 109

100.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$38.90 MYR 159

84.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$6.94 MYR 28.30

403.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.91 MYR 20.05

60.69%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$274 MYR 1,119

80.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.5K MYR 42.6K

13.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$52.2 MYR 213

3.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$29.64 MYR 121

86.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$77.9 MYR 318

0.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$85.9 MYR 350

-7.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$433 MYR 1,767

81.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$309 MYR 1,260

157.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$777 MYR 3,171

406.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$467 MYR 1,907

203.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,798 MYR 7,336

284.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,129 MYR 4,606

8.42%

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 Kuala Lipis: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Kuala Lipis

$309 32.9% 61.1% $485

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Kuala Lipis

$250 26.6% 29% $102

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Kuala Lipis

$116 12.3% 45.3% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Kuala Lipis

$85 9% 54.3% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Kuala Lipis

$111 11.8% 8% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kuala Lipis

$49 5.2% 44.2% $39

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Kuala Lipis

$20 2.1% 77.1% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $433 in Kuala Lipis. 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 $24.00 in Kuala Lipis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $250 – making Kuala Lipis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇾 Kuala Lipis

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

11:37 11:37 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

20,000

💱 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 Kuala Lipis 18,220 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kuala Lipis

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 Lipis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,408 in Kuala Lipis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuala Lipis, 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 $939 in Kuala Lipis. That's a gap of about 96%.

Public transport costs about 418% less in Kuala Lipis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kuala Lipis, where all-in costs run around $939, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kuala Lipis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kuala Lipis – 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 Kuala Lipis. 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.