Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Penang

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $839 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Penang

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $839 in Penang, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Penang $839

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,314 in Penang, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Penang $1,314

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,790 in Penang, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Penang $1,790

Nosara costs about 119% more than Penang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Penang is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$3.58 MYR 14.65

241.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$19.84 MYR 81.1

203.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$4.58 MYR 18.71

64.63%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.04 MYR 12.42

41.78%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.73 MYR 2.98

135.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.39 MYR 1.59

246.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$4.18 MYR 17.07

-22.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.32 MYR 17.65

3.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.89 MYR 7.72

-16.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.08 MYR 4.42

193.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.77 MYR 7.24

36.72%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.23 MYR 9.11

60.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$13.69 MYR 56.0

-45.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.29 MYR 17.53

142.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$8.60 MYR 35.16

58.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.04 MYR 12.43

-23.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.71 MYR 6.97

-5.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.67 MYR 10.91

77.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.47 MYR 6.01

12.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.09 MYR 4.47

241.28%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.07 MYR 4.39

233.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.14 MYR 4.67

-3.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.57 MYR 2.31

347.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.62 MYR 18.89

7.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$19.29 MYR 78.9

3.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.93 MYR 11.96

-4.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$5.37 MYR 21.95

-34.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.51 MYR 2.08

133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$12.30 MYR 50.3

485.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.75 MYR 7.17

28.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.37 MYR 1.52

318.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$7.27 MYR 29.72

21.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.94 MYR 3.86

67.02%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$41.0K MYR 167.4K

-46.76%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$34.9K MYR 142.6K

-0.68%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$36.55 MYR 149

155.68%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$9.97 MYR 40.75

252.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$29.32 MYR 120

75.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$38.81 MYR 159

83.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$4.98 MYR 20.35

611.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$4.87 MYR 19.92

60.99%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$430 MYR 1,757

13.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$10.8K MYR 44.2K

9.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$60.3 MYR 246

-11.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$35.26 MYR 144

58.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$83.5 MYR 341

-5.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$69.8 MYR 285

12.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$402 MYR 1,643

95.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$232 MYR 950

235.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$621 MYR 2,537

521.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$410 MYR 1,678

242.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,212 MYR 9,045

215.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,057 MYR 4,323

13.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$943 MYR 3,855

-7.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.04

113.37%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Penang

$232 27.1% 70.2% $547

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Penang

$258 30.1% 26.1% $91

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Penang

$113 13.2% 46.1% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Penang

$76 8.8% 57.9% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Penang

$112 13.1% 6.9% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Penang

$49 5.7% 44.2% $39

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Penang

$18 2.1% 79.3% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $402 in Penang. 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 8% higher in Penang, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $20.00 in Penang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $258 – making Penang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

14:07 2:07 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

158,336

💱 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 = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Penang 18,190 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Penang

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 Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $839 in Penang – roughly 119% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,259 in Penang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 486% less in Penang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $430 in Penang. 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 Penang, where all-in costs run around $839, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Penang 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 $839 in Penang to $1,837 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 Penang. 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.