Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Pontianak

For one person, living is cheaper in Pontianak: $484 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Pontianak
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Pontianak Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Pontianak

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$484

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Pontianak

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $484 in Pontianak, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Pontianak $484

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $600 in Pontianak, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Pontianak $600

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $717 in Pontianak, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Pontianak $717

Nosara costs about 280% more than Pontianak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Pontianak is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$1.77 Rp 31.9K

597.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$8.14 Rp 146.4K

651.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

151.51%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

255.65%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.46 Rp 8,327

278.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.21 Rp 3,762

523.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.81 Rp 50.6K

16.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.73 Rp 67.1K

19.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.08 Rp 19.4K

44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

112.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.94 Rp 16.9K

167.02%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

139.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.32 Rp 59.7K

216.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.05 Rp 54.8K

-22.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.92 Rp 34.6K

-16.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.20 Rp 39.6K

118.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.48 Rp 8,633

454.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.82 Rp 50.7K

83.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$22.55 Rp 405.9K

-11.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.78 Rp 32.0K

62.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.23 Rp 40.1K

62.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.27 Rp 4,796

314.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

108.22%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$68.5 Rp 1.2M

40.59%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$5.51 Rp 99.2K

551.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$22.14 Rp 398.4K

142.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$23.86 Rp 429.5K

200.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$11.79 Rp 212.2K

196.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$3.73 Rp 67.1K

111.53%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$33.12 Rp 596.2K

62.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$33.53 Rp 603.5K

65.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$169 Rp 3.0M

365.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$113 Rp 2.0M

604.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$262 Rp 4.7M

230.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-13.80%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pontianak: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Pontianak

$113 23.3% 85.8% $682

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Pontianak

$151 * 31.2% 57.1% $201

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Pontianak

$62 12.8% 70.7% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Pontianak

$96 19.8% 48.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Pontianak

$30 * 6.2% 75% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Pontianak

$31 6.5% 64.2% $56

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Pontianak

$1.1 * 0.2% 98.8% $86

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 $169 in Pontianak. 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 230% 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 Pontianak. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $151 – making Pontianak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇩 Pontianak

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

14:47 2:47 PM

13 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

672,440

💱 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 Pontianak 18,020 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Pontianak

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 Pontianak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $484 in Pontianak – roughly 280% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $727 in Pontianak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pontianak, 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 $8.00 in Pontianak. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $484 in Pontianak. That's a gap of about 280%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pontianak, where all-in costs run around $484, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Pontianak 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 $484 in Pontianak 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 Pontianak. 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.