Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Padang

For one person, living is cheaper in Padang: $620 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Padang
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Padang Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Padang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Padang

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $620 in Padang, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Padang $620

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $996 in Padang, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Padang $996

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,372 in Padang, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Padang $1,372

Nosara costs about 197% more than Padang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Padang is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$1.64 Rp 29.6K

653.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$15.72 Rp 283.0K

289.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.92 Rp 52.5K

157.53%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.44 Rp 26.0K

206.25%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.41 Rp 7,394

324.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.22 Rp 3,925

495.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

53.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.74 Rp 67.3K

19.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.14 Rp 20.5K

36.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.04 Rp 18.7K

190.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.96 Rp 17.4K

161.46%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

139.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.82 Rp 122.8K

8.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.88 Rp 51.8K

265.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.49 Rp 116.9K

115.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.51 Rp 45.2K

-6.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

29.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.73 Rp 31.2K

177.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

29.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

230.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

100.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

41.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.40 Rp 7,241

565.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.72 Rp 48.9K

90.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$21.21 Rp 381.7K

-6.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.73 Rp 31.1K

67.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.28 Rp 59.1K

10.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.29 Rp 5,254

286.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.52 Rp 9,417

311.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.35 Rp 6,239

348.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.77 Rp 49.8K

207.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.95 Rp 17.0K

60.00%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$20.4K Rp 366.6M

6.10%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.7K Rp 588.6M

5.55%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$67.6 Rp 1.2M

42.46%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$4.97 Rp 89.5K

622.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$20.99 Rp 377.8K

155.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$19.55 Rp 351.9K

266.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$8.88 Rp 159.9K

293.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$2.60 Rp 46.7K

203.46%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$80.4 Rp 1.4M

514.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,325 Rp 149.8M

42.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$42.73 Rp 769.2K

26.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$26.93 Rp 484.8K

105.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$63.8 Rp 1.1M

22.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$72.4 Rp 1.3M

9.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$206 Rp 3.7M

282.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$154 Rp 2.8M

416.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$494 Rp 8.9M

697.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$391 Rp 7.0M

263.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,124 Rp 20.2M

514.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$706 Rp 12.7M

73.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$165 Rp 3.0M

423.14%

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 Padang: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Padang

$154 24.8% 80.6% $641

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Padang

$192 31% 45.5% $160

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Padang

$60 9.7% 71.7% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Padang

$94 15.1% 49.6% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Padang

$93 14.9% 22.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Padang

$25 4% 71.7% $63

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Padang

$3.4 * 0.6% 96.1% $84

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 $206 in Padang. 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 423% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $16.00 in Padang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $192 – making Padang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇩 Padang

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

14:06 2:06 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,000,096

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Padang 18,810 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Padang

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 Padang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $620 in Padang – roughly 197% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $930 in Padang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Padang, 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 $16.00 in Padang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 84% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Padang, where all-in costs run around $620, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Padang 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 $620 in Padang 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 Padang. 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.