Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Medan

For one person, living is cheaper in Medan: $613 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
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Medan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Medan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $613 in Medan.

Nosara $1,839
Medan $613

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $940 in Medan.

Nosara $2,828
Medan $940

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,266 in Medan.

Nosara $3,818
Medan $1,266

Living in Nosara is roughly 200% more expensive than in Medan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Medan is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

622.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

637.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

154.92%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

188.24%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.35 Rp 6,215

397.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.25 Rp 4,534

424.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

97.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

24.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

40.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

155.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

209.88%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

170.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

-8.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

193.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

119.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

-2.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

53.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

238.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

73.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

352.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

105.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.38 Rp 6,905

197.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.44 Rp 7,872

504.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

80.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

26.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

58.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.27 Rp 4,816

314.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

1124.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.51 Rp 9,186

319.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.19 Rp 3,465

726.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

90.00%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

-12.41%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

7.15%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

13.50%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

1032.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

127.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

322.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

315.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

139.82%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$112 Rp 2.0M

342.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

600.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

-0.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

43.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$108 Rp 1.9M

-27.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$111 Rp 2.0M

-28.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$233 Rp 4.2M

238.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

785.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$494 Rp 8.9M

696.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$212 Rp 3.8M

570.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

496.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$560 Rp 10.1M

118.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$215 Rp 3.9M

301.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.25

-6.81%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Medan

$90 14.6% 88.7% $705

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Medan

$181 29.5% 48.7% $171

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Medan

$59 9.6% 72.3% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Medan

$112 18.2% 39.9% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Medan

$140 22.9% 16.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Medan

$24 3.8% 73.1% $64

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Medan

$8.5 1.4% 90.3% $79

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $233 in Medan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 301% 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 $8.00 in Medan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $181 per month, with Medan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇩 Medan

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

06:18 6:18 AM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

2,097,610

💱 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 = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Medan 18,430 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Medan

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 Medan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 200% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 301% 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 $233 in Medan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medan runs roughly 1125% 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 $112 in Medan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $613 in Medan versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medan but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Medan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medan 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 Medan 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 Medan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 200% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.