Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Pekanbaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Pekanbaru: $628 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Pekanbaru
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Pekanbaru Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Pekanbaru

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Pekanbaru

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $628 in Pekanbaru, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Pekanbaru $628

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $983 in Pekanbaru, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Pekanbaru $983

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,339 in Pekanbaru, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Pekanbaru $1,339

Nosara costs about 193% more than Pekanbaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Pekanbaru is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$1.43 Rp 25.8K

763.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$8.20 Rp 147.6K

646.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

212.03%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

239.23%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.58 Rp 10.4K

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.33 Rp 5,954

296.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.07 Rp 37.3K

58.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

29.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

162.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

182.02%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.68 Rp 30.3K

112.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.30 Rp 131.3K

1.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.37 Rp 42.7K

343.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.49 Rp 116.9K

115.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.70 Rp 48.5K

-12.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

-5.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

99.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

26.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

206.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

93.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

50.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.35 Rp 6,350

660.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

139.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$21.45 Rp 386.0K

-7.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

51.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.01 Rp 54.2K

20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.29 Rp 5,230

286.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$8.44 Rp 152.0K

760.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.92 Rp 16.6K

132.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.40 Rp 7,154

292.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.68 Rp 48.2K

217.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.76 Rp 13.6K

100.00%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$23.3K Rp 418.9M

-7.15%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.0K Rp 468.5M

32.60%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$62.1 Rp 1.1M

55.11%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$5.99 Rp 107.9K

499.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.78 Rp 428.1K

125.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$28.34 Rp 510.2K

152.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$8.31 Rp 149.7K

320.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$3.03 Rp 54.6K

160.40%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$96.0 Rp 1.7M

414.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,773 Rp 139.9M

52.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$31.96 Rp 575.3K

68.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$28.42 Rp 511.6K

94.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$54.8 Rp 985.5K

42.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

-1.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$262 Rp 4.7M

201.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$145 Rp 2.6M

448.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$540 Rp 9.7M

629.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$356 Rp 6.4M

298.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,070 Rp 19.3M

545.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$807 Rp 14.5M

51.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$176 Rp 3.2M

390.65%

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 Pekanbaru: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Pekanbaru

$145 23.1% 81.8% $650

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Pekanbaru

$201 32% 43% $151

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Pekanbaru

$55 8.8% 74% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Pekanbaru

$92 14.6% 50.6% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Pekanbaru

$88 14% 26.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Pekanbaru

$34 5.5% 60.6% $53

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Pekanbaru

$13 2% 85.6% $75

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $262 in Pekanbaru. 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 391% 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 $8.00 in Pekanbaru. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $201 – making Pekanbaru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇩 Pekanbaru

🕒 Local time

01:07 1:07 AM

14:07 2:07 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,020,308

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Pekanbaru 18,610 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Pekanbaru

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 Pekanbaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $628 in Pekanbaru – roughly 193% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $942 in Pekanbaru. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 761% less in Pekanbaru. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $96.0 in Pekanbaru. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pekanbaru, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Pekanbaru 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 $628 in Pekanbaru 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 Pekanbaru. 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.