Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Langkawi

For one person, living is cheaper in Langkawi: $537 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Langkawi
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Langkawi Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Langkawi

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Langkawi

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $537 in Langkawi, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Langkawi $537

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $770 in Langkawi, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Langkawi $770

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,003 in Langkawi, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Langkawi $1,003

Nosara costs about 242% more than Langkawi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Langkawi is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.27 MYR 13.33

277.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$19.71 MYR 80.4

210.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.38 MYR 26.04

17.87%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.65 MYR 6.72

167.27%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.82 MYR 3.36

112.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.53 MYR 2.18

147.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.72 MYR 7.03

90.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.26 MYR 9.22

97.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.31 MYR 5.36

130.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.79 MYR 7.30

99.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$17.48 MYR 71.3

-57.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.02 MYR 8.23

16.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.99 MYR 4.05

62.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.68 MYR 6.86

185.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.67 MYR 6.83

-3.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.76 MYR 3.09

385.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.69 MYR 15.04

40.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.82 MYR 36.00

125.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.94 MYR 3.82

208.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.19 MYR 4.87

205.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.88 MYR 3.57

72.73%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$24.4K MYR 99.6K

-11.49%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$36.65 MYR 150

162.73%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$24.82 MYR 101

188.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$308 MYR 1,255

156.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$244 MYR 997

225.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$374 MYR 1,528

951.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$320 MYR 1,304

344.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,168 MYR 4,765

491.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,240 MYR 5,060

-30.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Langkawi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Langkawi

$244 45.5% 69.2% $550

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Langkawi

$148 * 27.5% 58.1% $205

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Langkawi

$84 15.6% 60.5% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Langkawi

$37 * 6.8% 80.3% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Langkawi

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Langkawi

$25 * 4.6% 71.6% $63

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Langkawi

- * 0% 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $308 in Langkawi. 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 44% higher in Langkawi, 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $20.00 in Langkawi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $148 – making Langkawi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇾 Langkawi

🕒 Local time

17:39 5:39 PM

07:39 7:39 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

30,212

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Langkawi 18,100 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Langkawi

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 Langkawi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $537 in Langkawi – roughly 242% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $806 in Langkawi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Langkawi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $20.00 in Langkawi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $537 in Langkawi. That's a gap of about 242%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Langkawi, where all-in costs run around $537, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Langkawi 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 $537 in Langkawi to $1,839 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 Langkawi. 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.