Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Labuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Labuan: $1,020 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Labuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,020 in Labuan.

Nosara $1,839
Labuan $1,020

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,487 in Labuan.

Nosara $2,828
Labuan $1,487

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,953 in Labuan.

Nosara $3,818
Labuan $1,953

Living in Nosara is roughly 80% more expensive than in Labuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Labuan is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.52 MYR 22.53

123.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$24.16 MYR 98.6

153.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.66 MYR 27.19

12.91%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.93 MYR 16.05

12.21%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.06 MYR 4.34

64.15%

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

$3.72 MYR 15.19

-11.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.53 MYR 18.48

-1.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.82 MYR 7.43

-14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.04 MYR 4.26

190.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.49 MYR 6.07

68.46%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.10 MYR 8.58

70.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$16.82 MYR 68.6

-55.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.42 MYR 18.03

138.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.50 MYR 38.76

47.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.17 MYR 12.95

-25.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.83 MYR 7.46

-12.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.39 MYR 9.75

100.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.76 MYR 7.17

-8.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.39 MYR 5.68

173.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.03 MYR 4.20

258.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.18 MYR 4.81

-4.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.54 MYR 2.20

392.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.04 MYR 20.57

2.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$16.29 MYR 66.5

22.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.21 MYR 13.11

-9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$4.39 MYR 17.90

-17.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.78 MYR 3.17

43.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$10.66 MYR 43.48

581.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.34 MYR 5.47

59.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.48 MYR 1.97

227.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.48 MYR 26.43

31.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.88 MYR 3.58

72.73%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$44.0K MYR 179.5K

-50.89%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

6.11%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$48.90 MYR 199

96.91%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.68 MYR 39.49

270.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.69 MYR 113

93.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$41.60 MYR 170

72.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$7.68 MYR 31.32

354.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.29 MYR 17.51

83.92%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$208 MYR 849

137.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,011 MYR 28.6K

69.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$55.8 MYR 228

-3.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$30.07 MYR 123

84.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$87.0 MYR 355

-10.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$81.8 MYR 334

-2.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$433 MYR 1,768

81.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$342 MYR 1,397

131.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$641 MYR 2,614

514.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$464 MYR 1,892

205.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,282 MYR 9,308

202.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,136 MYR 4,636

7.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$374 MYR 1,525

130.98%

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 Labuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Labuan

$342 33.6% 56.9% $452

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Labuan

$264 25.9% 25% $88

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Labuan

$145 14.2% 31.5% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Labuan

$86 8.5% 53.6% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Labuan

$115 11.2% 4.6% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Labuan

$50 4.9% 42.6% $37

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Labuan

$18 1.7% 79.9% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $433 in Labuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 131% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $24.00 in Labuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $264 per month, with Labuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇾 Labuan

🕒 Local time

21:57 9:57 PM

11:57 11:57 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

95,120

💱 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

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Between locations

Nosara Labuan 17,150 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Labuan

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 Labuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Labuan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 80% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 131% 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: $788 in Nosara versus $433 in Labuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $208 in Labuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,020 in Labuan versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Labuan but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Labuan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Labuan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Labuan 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 Labuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.