Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kuala Terengganu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Terengganu: $924 a month against $1,839 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 Kuala Terengganu
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Kuala Terengganu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Kuala Terengganu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $924 in Kuala Terengganu.

Nosara $1,839
Kuala Terengganu $924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,372 in Kuala Terengganu.

Nosara $2,828
Kuala Terengganu $1,372

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,821 in Kuala Terengganu.

Nosara $3,818
Kuala Terengganu $1,821

Living in Nosara is roughly 99% more expensive than in Kuala Terengganu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Kuala Terengganu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.49 MYR 10.15

395.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$23.06 MYR 94.1

165.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.72 MYR 19.25

59.32%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.72 MYR 11.08

62.13%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.47 MYR 1.90

270.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.28 MYR 1.14

367.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.56 MYR 14.52

-7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.18 MYR 17.05

6.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.70 MYR 6.94

-8.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.02 MYR 4.15

196.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.28 MYR 5.22

96.09%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.13 MYR 8.68

67.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$15.66 MYR 63.9

-52.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.35 MYR 17.73

141.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.41 MYR 34.29

66.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.36 MYR 13.73

-30.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.61 MYR 6.59

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.10 MYR 8.59

128.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.50 MYR 6.13

7.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.47 MYR 6.01

158.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.09 MYR 4.45

238.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.00 MYR 4.09

13.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.53 MYR 2.17

401.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.46 MYR 18.18

16.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$17.84 MYR 72.8

11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.92 MYR 11.91

-0.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$4.82 MYR 19.66

-24.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.67 MYR 2.75

67.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$10.62 MYR 43.31

583.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.27 MYR 5.20

68.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.46 MYR 1.89

241.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.55 MYR 26.73

30.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.90 MYR 3.65

68.89%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$43.8K MYR 178.8K

-50.70%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.1K MYR 131.0K

7.50%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$45.25 MYR 185

112.80%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$8.79 MYR 35.87

308.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$25.10 MYR 102

113.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$44.04 MYR 180

62.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$7.97 MYR 32.49

338.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.81 MYR 19.61

64.03%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$172 MYR 701

187.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,936 MYR 28.3K

70.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$57.5 MYR 235

-6.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$36.37 MYR 148

52.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$86.5 MYR 353

-9.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$68.0 MYR 278

17.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$361 MYR 1,472

118.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$312 MYR 1,275

154.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$722 MYR 2,946

445.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$471 MYR 1,923

201.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,073 MYR 8,456

233.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,145 MYR 4,669

6.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.06

112.32%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kuala Terengganu: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Kuala Terengganu

$312 33.8% 60.7% $482

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Kuala Terengganu

$254 27.5% 27.9% $98

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Kuala Terengganu

$96 10.4% 54.8% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Kuala Terengganu

$79 8.6% 57.4% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Kuala Terengganu

$112 12.1% 6.9% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kuala Terengganu

$54 5.8% 38.6% $34

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Kuala Terengganu

$17 1.8% 80.6% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $361 in Kuala Terengganu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $23.00 in Kuala Terengganu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $254 per month, with Kuala Terengganu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇾 Kuala Terengganu

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

12:59 12:59 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

375,424

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Kuala Terengganu 18,050 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kuala Terengganu

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 Terengganu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Kuala Terengganu differ by about 99% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $924 including rent). Kuala Terengganu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,386 in Kuala Terengganu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $361 in Kuala Terengganu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $924 in Kuala Terengganu – a 99% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kuala Terengganu runs roughly 584% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $924 in Kuala Terengganu versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kuala Terengganu but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kuala Terengganu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Kuala Terengganu 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 Kuala Terengganu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 99% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.