Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Rawang

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $741 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
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Rawang Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Rawang

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $741 in Rawang, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Rawang $741

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,183 in Rawang, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Rawang $1,183

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,624 in Rawang, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Rawang $1,624

Nosara costs about 148% more than Rawang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Rawang is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.75 MYR 15.31

229.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$19.68 MYR 80.3

210.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.04 MYR 20.55

49.21%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.99 MYR 12.20

47.49%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.83 MYR 3.38

109.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.39 MYR 1.61

235.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.25 MYR 17.33

-22.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.39 MYR 17.89

1.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.95 MYR 7.96

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.04 MYR 4.26

190.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.76 MYR 7.19

42.61%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.23 MYR 9.08

60.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$14.15 MYR 57.7

-47.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.48 MYR 18.29

134.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.85 MYR 40.19

41.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.06 MYR 12.49

-23.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.84 MYR 7.49

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.63 MYR 10.73

82.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.44 MYR 5.89

11.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.32 MYR 5.37

187.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.33 MYR 5.43

177.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.18 MYR 4.80

-4.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.57 MYR 2.34

366.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.54 MYR 18.53

14.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$19.13 MYR 78.1

3.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.96 MYR 12.09

-2.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$5.09 MYR 20.75

-28.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.77 MYR 3.12

45.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$12.31 MYR 50.2

490.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.66 MYR 6.77

28.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.37 MYR 1.52

324.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.88 MYR 28.05

23.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.89 MYR 3.64

70.79%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$42.4K MYR 173.0K

-49.04%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$34.7K MYR 141.4K

-0.41%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$36.56 MYR 149

163.38%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.78 MYR 39.90

266.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$29.31 MYR 120

82.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$39.87 MYR 163

79.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$7.13 MYR 29.08

389.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.90 MYR 19.99

61.02%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$301 MYR 1,227

64.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

8.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$59.8 MYR 244

-9.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$35.75 MYR 146

54.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$82.6 MYR 337

-5.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$70.9 MYR 289

12.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$140 MYR 569

464.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$103 MYR 421

669.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$577 MYR 2,354

582.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$232 MYR 945

512.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,051 MYR 8,368

236.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,090 MYR 4,445

12.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,035 MYR 4,223

-16.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.18

106.22%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rawang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Rawang

$103 13.9% 87% $691

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Rawang

$266 35.9% 24.5% $86

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Rawang

$116 15.6% 45.3% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Rawang

$76 10.2% 59.3% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Rawang

$112 15.1% 6.7% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Rawang

$50 6.7% 43.2% $38

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Rawang

$19 2.6% 78.3% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $140 in Rawang. 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 20% higher in Rawang, 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $20.00 in Rawang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $266 – making Rawang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇾 Rawang

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

11:20 11:20 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

50,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 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 Rawang 18,330 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Rawang

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 Rawang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $741 in Rawang – roughly 148% 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 $1,112 in Rawang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 490% less in Rawang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $301 in Rawang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rawang, where all-in costs run around $741, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Rawang 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 $741 in Rawang 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 Rawang. 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.