Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Shah Alam

For one person, living is cheaper in Shah Alam: $933 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Shah Alam
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Shah Alam Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Shah Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Shah 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 Shah Alam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $933 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Shah Alam $933

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,429 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Shah Alam $1,429

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,925 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Shah Alam $1,925

Nosara costs about 97% more than Shah Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Shah Alam is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.72 MYR 15.19

231.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$19.34 MYR 78.9

216.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.21 MYR 17.16

78.62%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.87 MYR 11.70

53.66%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.78 MYR 3.17

123.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.39 MYR 1.58

235.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.40 MYR 13.85

-3.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.33 MYR 17.65

3.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.79 MYR 7.29

-12.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.06 MYR 4.31

184.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.47 MYR 6.01

70.75%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.17 MYR 8.85

64.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.59 MYR 55.4

-45.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.36 MYR 17.78

141.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.51 MYR 38.79

46.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.53 MYR 14.38

-33.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.62 MYR 6.61

-0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.62 MYR 10.67

83.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.73 MYR 7.05

-6.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.25 MYR 5.08

204.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.04 MYR 8.33

80.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.43 MYR 5.82

-20.98%

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

$4.33 MYR 17.66

19.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$18.85 MYR 76.9

5.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.76 MYR 11.26

5.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$4.64 MYR 18.94

-21.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.75 MYR 3.05

49.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$16.11 MYR 65.7

350.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.20 MYR 4.90

78.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.41 MYR 1.67

282.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$7.48 MYR 30.52

13.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.81 MYR 3.32

87.65%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$42.1K MYR 171.7K

-48.65%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$34.9K MYR 142.5K

-1.17%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$36.85 MYR 150

161.30%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.64 MYR 39.32

272.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$28.94 MYR 118

85.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$40.19 MYR 164

78.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$4.88 MYR 19.92

615.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.58 MYR 26.86

19.91%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$199 MYR 812

148.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,548 MYR 18.6K

160.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$57.6 MYR 235

-6.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$39.52 MYR 161

40.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$67.8 MYR 277

14.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$70.0 MYR 285

13.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$340 MYR 1,386

131.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$308 MYR 1,255

158.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$564 MYR 2,301

598.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$560 MYR 2,283

153.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,502 MYR 6,128

360.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,165 MYR 4,753

5.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,264 MYR 5,156

-31.67%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Shah Alam: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Shah Alam

$308 33% 61.3% $487

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Shah Alam

$261 28% 25.8% $91

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Shah Alam

$107 11.5% 49.4% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Shah Alam

$75 8.1% 59.4% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Shah Alam

$106 11.3% 12% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Shah Alam

$53 5.7% 38.9% $34

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Shah Alam

$22 2.4% 74.4% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $340 in Shah 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 46% higher in Shah 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 $19.00 in Shah Alam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $261 – making Shah Alam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇾 Shah Alam

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

20:17 8:17 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

812,327

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

From you

Nosara
Shah 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 Shah Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $933 in Shah Alam – roughly 97% 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 $1,399 in Shah Alam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shah 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 351% less in Shah Alam. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $199 in Shah Alam. 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 Shah Alam, where all-in costs run around $933, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Shah 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 $933 in Shah 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 Shah 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.