Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Selangor

For one person, living is cheaper in Selangor: $1,020 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Selangor
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Selangor Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Selangor

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,020 in Selangor, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Selangor $1,020

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,469 in Selangor, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Selangor $1,469

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,918 in Selangor, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Selangor $1,918

Nosara costs about 80% more than Selangor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Selangor is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.33 MYR 17.67

185.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$19.20 MYR 78.3

218.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.04 MYR 16.46

86.14%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.26 MYR 9.23

95.13%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.78 MYR 3.18

123.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.47 MYR 1.93

178.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.43 MYR 18.08

-25.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.96 MYR 20.24

-9.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.93 MYR 7.87

-19.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.05 MYR 4.30

187.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.53 MYR 6.25

64.05%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.92 MYR 7.82

85.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$14.26 MYR 58.2

-47.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.36 MYR 17.78

141.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.60 MYR 39.16

45.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.44 MYR 14.04

-31.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.84 MYR 7.52

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.34 MYR 9.55

105.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.59 MYR 6.49

1.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.34 MYR 5.45

183.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.03 MYR 4.21

258.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.11 MYR 4.52

1.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.54 MYR 2.19

392.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.50 MYR 18.35

15.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$19.53 MYR 79.7

1.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.59 MYR 14.64

-19.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$4.86 MYR 19.81

-25.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.19 MYR 4.87

-5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$12.26 MYR 50.0

492.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.24 MYR 5.06

72.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.25 MYR 5.10

25.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$4.34 MYR 17.72

96.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.73 MYR 2.99

108.22%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$41.9K MYR 171.0K

-48.43%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

-2.08%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$63.4 MYR 258

51.97%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$8.50 MYR 34.69

322.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$25.97 MYR 106

106.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$41.09 MYR 168

74.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$6.87 MYR 28.04

408.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.05 MYR 20.59

56.24%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$122 MYR 499

303.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,175 MYR 29.3K

65.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$70.8 MYR 289

-23.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$41.40 MYR 169

33.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$77.1 MYR 315

1.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$83.0 MYR 339

-4.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$511 MYR 2,083

54.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$346 MYR 1,413

129.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$880 MYR 3,589

347.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$481 MYR 1,963

194.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,578 MYR 6,438

337.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$705 MYR 2,875

73.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,019 MYR 4,157

-15.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.96

117.68%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Selangor: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Selangor

$346 34% 56.4% $448

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Selangor

$266 26.1% 24.4% $86

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Selangor

$111 10.9% 47.6% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Selangor

$98 9.6% 47.3% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Selangor

$123 12% 2% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Selangor

$51 5% 41.4% $36

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Selangor

$25 2.4% 71.9% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $511 in Selangor. 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 18% higher in Selangor, 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 $19.00 in Selangor. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $266 – making Selangor the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇾 Selangor

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

13:04 1:04 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

281,717

💱 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 Selangor 18,350 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Selangor

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 Selangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,020 in Selangor – roughly 80% 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 $1,529 in Selangor. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 492% less in Selangor. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $122 in Selangor. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Selangor, where all-in costs run around $1,020, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Selangor 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 $1,020 in Selangor 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 Selangor. 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.