Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pontianak and Nosara

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.

29

Cost of Living Index in Pontianak
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Pontianak Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Pontianak

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$484

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pontianak and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pontianak and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Pontianak $484
Nosara $1,839

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

Pontianak $600
Nosara $2,828

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

Pontianak $717
Nosara $3,818

Pontianak is about 74% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.77 Rp 31.9K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-85.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.14 Rp 146.4K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-86.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

$7.52 ₡3,373

-60.24%

Cappuccino

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

$4.41 ₡1,978

-71.88%

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

$0.46 Rp 8,327

$1.74 ₡780

-73.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 Rp 3,762

$1.31 ₡587

-83.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 Rp 50.6K

$3.28 ₡1,471

-14.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 Rp 67.1K

$4.47 ₡2,004

-16.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 Rp 19.4K

$1.56 ₡701

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

$3.02 ₡1,355

-52.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 Rp 16.9K

$2.51 ₡1,125

-62.55%

Eggs

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

$3.57 ₡1,603

-58.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 Rp 59.7K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-68.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 Rp 54.8K

$2.35 ₡1,052

29.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 Rp 34.6K

$1.61 ₡720

19.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 Rp 39.6K

$4.80 ₡2,152

-54.17%

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)

$0.48 Rp 8,633

$2.66 ₡1,191

-81.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 Rp 50.7K

$5.18 ₡2,321

-45.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.55 Rp 405.9K

$19.88 ₡8,916

13.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 Rp 32.0K

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 Rp 40.1K

$3.63 ₡1,626

-38.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,796

$1.12 ₡504

-75.89%

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)

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

$1.52 ₡682

-51.97%

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)

$68.5 Rp 1.2M

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-28.87%

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

$5.51 Rp 99.2K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-84.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.14 Rp 398.4K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-58.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.86 Rp 429.5K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-66.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.79 Rp 212.2K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-66.23%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 Rp 67.1K

$7.89 ₡3,539

-52.72%

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)

$33.12 Rp 596.2K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-38.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.53 Rp 603.5K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-39.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$169 Rp 3.0M

$788 ₡353.4K

-78.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 Rp 2.0M

$794 ₡356.2K

-85.80%

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)

$262 Rp 4.7M

$864 ₡387.3K

-69.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

16.01%

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

Last update for Pontianak: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pontianak

$151 * 31.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 133% $201

Accommodation & Living

Pontianak

$113 23.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 604% $682

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pontianak

$96 19.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 93.2% $90

Eating Out

Pontianak

$62 12.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 241% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Pontianak

$31 6.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 179% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Pontianak

$30 * 6.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 300% $90

Getting Around

Pontianak

$1.1 * 0.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 8041% $86

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $169 in Pontianak versus $788 in Nosara. 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 $8.00 in Pontianak versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $151 vs $352 – making Pontianak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Pontianak

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:38 12:38 PM

23:38 11:38 PM

13 h behind Pontianak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

672,440

4,912

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

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).

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).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pontianak Nosara 18,020 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Pontianak
Nosara

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

Pontianak vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $727 per month in Pontianak and $2,758 in Nosara. 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 $8.00 in Pontianak and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $484 in Pontianak and $1,839 in Nosara. 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.