Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Setia Alam

For one person, living is cheaper in Setia Alam: $913 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Setia Alam
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Setia Alam Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Setia Alam

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $913 in Setia Alam, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Setia Alam $913

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,358 in Setia Alam, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Setia Alam $1,358

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,803 in Setia Alam, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Setia Alam $1,803

Nosara costs about 102% more than Setia Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Setia Alam is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.81 MYR 19.61

156.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$24.57 MYR 100

149.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.96 MYR 20.22

51.61%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.76 MYR 11.27

59.78%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.79 MYR 3.23

120.25%

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

$4.32 MYR 17.63

-24.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.01 MYR 24.50

-25.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.49 MYR 6.09

4.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.72 MYR 2.92

319.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.59 MYR 2.42

325.42%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.20 MYR 4.91

197.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.82 MYR 56.4

-46.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.41 MYR 9.83

336.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$2.41 MYR 9.83

479.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.24 MYR 5.04

89.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.83 MYR 7.47

-12.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.25 MYR 5.11

284.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.20 MYR 4.91

34.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.71 MYR 2.89

435.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.74 MYR 3.03

398.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.70 MYR 2.87

61.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.72 MYR 2.95

269.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.32 MYR 17.64

19.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$19.60 MYR 80.0

1.43%

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 19.84

-25.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.76 MYR 3.08

47.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$12.31 MYR 50.2

490.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.24 MYR 5.06

72.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.20 MYR 4.88

30.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$4.78 MYR 19.49

78.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.48 MYR 1.95

216.67%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$39.2K MYR 159.9K

-44.85%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.0K MYR 134.7K

4.51%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$61.2 MYR 250

57.41%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$8.52 MYR 34.77

321.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$26.04 MYR 106

105.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$49.73 MYR 203

43.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$6.97 MYR 28.44

400.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.10 MYR 20.82

54.71%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$135 MYR 551

265.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,885 MYR 32.2K

50.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$72.7 MYR 296

-25.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$27.31 MYR 111

102.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$53.8 MYR 220

44.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$36.56 MYR 149

117.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$529 MYR 2,160

48.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$323 MYR 1,319

145.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$873 MYR 3,562

351.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$549 MYR 2,238

158.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,992 MYR 8,128

246.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,102 MYR 4,498

11.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,143 MYR 4,663

-24.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

115.50%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Setia Alam: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Setia Alam

$323 35.4% 59.3% $471

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Setia Alam

$200 21.9% 43.2% $152

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Setia Alam

$125 13.7% 40.9% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Setia Alam

$96 10.5% 48.5% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Setia Alam

$86 9.4% 28.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Setia Alam

$60 6.6% 31.4% $27

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Setia Alam

$23 2.5% 74.1% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $529 in Setia Alam. 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 32% higher in Setia Alam, 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 $25.00 in Setia Alam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $200 – making Setia Alam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇾 Setia Alam

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

23:54 11:54 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

150,000

💱 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 Setia Alam 18,360 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Setia Alam

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 Setia Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $913 in Setia Alam – roughly 102% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,369 in Setia Alam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Setia Alam, 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 Setia Alam. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $135 in Setia Alam. 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 Setia Alam, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Setia Alam 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 $913 in Setia Alam 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 Setia Alam. 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.