Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Miri

For one person, living is cheaper in Miri: $814 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Miri
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Miri Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Miri

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Miri

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $814 in Miri.

Nosara $1,837
Miri $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,247 in Miri.

Nosara $2,775
Miri $1,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,680 in Miri.

Nosara $3,712
Miri $1,680

Living in Nosara is roughly 126% more expensive than in Miri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Miri is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$3.43 MYR 14.02

256.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$12.16 MYR 49.65

395.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$4.55 MYR 18.58

65.71%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.30 MYR 9.40

87.39%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.78 MYR 3.17

120.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.30 MYR 1.24

350.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.96 MYR 12.10

9.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.82 MYR 15.59

17.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.40 MYR 5.72

12.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.81 MYR 7.40

75.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$0.94 MYR 3.85

157.45%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.50 MYR 14.27

2.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.79 MYR 19.58

117.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$15.10 MYR 61.6

-9.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.96 MYR 8.01

-17.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.36 MYR 1.47

608.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.35 MYR 17.77

13.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$19.28 MYR 78.7

3.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$3.08 MYR 12.59

-9.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.41 MYR 9.85

46.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.51 MYR 2.09

133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$14.41 MYR 58.8

400.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.19 MYR 4.87

88.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.64 MYR 2.60

142.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$6.05 MYR 24.71

46.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.65 MYR 2.64

141.54%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$51.0K MYR 208.3K

-57.26%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$32.7K MYR 133.3K

6.07%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$49.79 MYR 203

87.69%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$9.53 MYR 38.91

268.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$33.24 MYR 136

54.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$29.63 MYR 121

140.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$6.17 MYR 25.21

474.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$4.45 MYR 18.18

76.18%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$102 MYR 416

380.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$6,641 MYR 27.1K

78.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$44.13 MYR 180

21.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$22.74 MYR 92.9

145.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$56.2 MYR 230

40.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$42.80 MYR 175

84.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$341 MYR 1,390

130.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$280 MYR 1,145

178.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$596 MYR 2,435

547.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$594 MYR 2,425

136.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,219 MYR 4,977

471.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$671 MYR 2,741

78.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$692 MYR 2,826

26.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.12

109.22%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Miri: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Miri

$280 35.2% 64% $499

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Miri

$194 * 24.4% 44.5% $155

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Miri

$96 12% 54.4% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Miri

$93 11.6% 48.6% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Miri

$75 9.4% 38% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Miri

$39 4.8% 55.8% $49

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Miri

$21 2.6% 76% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $341 in Miri. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 27% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $12.00 in Miri for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $194 per month, with Miri cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇾 Miri

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

248,877

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Miri 17,320 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Miri

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 Miri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Miri is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 126% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 27% 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: $786 in Nosara versus $341 in Miri. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Miri – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $814 in Miri – a 126% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $814 in Miri versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Miri but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Miri the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Miri 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 Miri 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 Miri gentler on the wallet – expenses run 126% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.