Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Makassar

For one person, living is cheaper in Makassar: $641 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Makassar
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Makassar Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Makassar

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Makassar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $641 in Makassar.

Nosara $1,839
Makassar $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $985 in Makassar.

Nosara $2,828
Makassar $985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,328 in Makassar.

Nosara $3,818
Makassar $1,328

Living in Nosara is roughly 187% more expensive than in Makassar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Makassar is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

618.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$8.88 Rp 159.8K

588.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$3.15 Rp 56.7K

138.73%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.92 Rp 34.5K

129.69%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.50 Rp 9,030

248.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.36 Rp 6,497

263.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.49 Rp 44.8K

31.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.30 Rp 59.4K

35.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

-1.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.98 Rp 17.7K

208.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.62 Rp 11.2K

304.84%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.50 Rp 27.0K

138.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.29 Rp 113.3K

18.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.44 Rp 61.9K

205.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$5.24 Rp 94.3K

166.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.35 Rp 42.3K

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

18.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.90 Rp 34.3K

152.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.86 Rp 33.4K

-13.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

204.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.57 Rp 28.2K

135.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

54.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.42 Rp 7,526

533.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.63 Rp 47.4K

96.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$22.11 Rp 398.0K

-10.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.81 Rp 32.7K

60.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.00 Rp 54.0K

21.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.27 Rp 4,854

314.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$4.30 Rp 77.5K

1589.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.49 Rp 8,781

336.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.35 Rp 6,271

348.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.66 Rp 47.9K

220.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

105.41%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$23.9K Rp 430.8M

-9.71%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$30.9K Rp 557.0M

11.55%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$89.0 Rp 1.6M

8.24%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$2.71 Rp 48.7K

1224.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$24.90 Rp 448.1K

115.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$21.47 Rp 386.5K

233.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$8.40 Rp 151.1K

315.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$3.36 Rp 60.5K

134.82%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$93.5 Rp 1.7M

428.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$3,746 Rp 67.4M

216.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$26.95 Rp 485.2K

100.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$23.52 Rp 423.3K

135.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$75.3 Rp 1.4M

3.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$40.00 Rp 720.0K

99.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$232 Rp 4.2M

239.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$148 Rp 2.7M

436.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$546 Rp 9.8M

621.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$360 Rp 6.5M

294.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,159 Rp 20.9M

496.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$803 Rp 14.5M

52.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$214 Rp 3.8M

303.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.46

-8.88%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Makassar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Makassar

$148 23.1% 81.4% $646

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Makassar

$197 30.7% 44.1% $155

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Makassar

$69 10.7% 67.6% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Makassar

$117 18.2% 37.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Makassar

$75 11.6% 37.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Makassar

$28 4.4% 67.7% $59

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Makassar

$7.6 1.2% 91.3% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $232 in Makassar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 304% 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 $9.00 in Makassar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $197 per month, with Makassar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇩 Makassar

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

02:57 2:57 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,427,619

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, 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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,238 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Makassar 17,200 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Makassar

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 Makassar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makassar wins on cost – living expenses run 187% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Makassar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 304% 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 $232 in Makassar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Makassar runs roughly 1589% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $93.5 in Makassar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $641 in Makassar versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Makassar but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Makassar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Makassar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $641 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Makassar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Makassar 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 Makassar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 187% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.