Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Purwokerto and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Purwokerto: $500 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Purwokerto
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$500
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $500 per month in Purwokerto vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Purwokerto $500
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $832 per month in Purwokerto vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Purwokerto $832
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,164 per month in Purwokerto vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Purwokerto $1,164
  • Nosara $3,818

Purwokerto is about 73% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Purwokerto sits 63% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Purwokerto
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.25 Rp 22.3K
$12.35 ₡5,539
-89.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$8.13 Rp 145.8K
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-86.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.22 Rp 57.8K
$7.52 ₡3,373
-57.18%
Cappuccino
$1.38 Rp 24.7K
$4.41 ₡1,978
-68.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 Rp 6,727
$1.74 ₡780
-78.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 Rp 3,128
$1.31 ₡587
-87.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.13 Rp 38.3K
$3.28 ₡1,471
-35.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 Rp 54.9K
$4.47 ₡2,004
-31.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Purwokerto
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.08 Rp 19.4K
$1.56 ₡701
-30.77%
White Bread (500g)
$0.85 Rp 15.3K
$3.02 ₡1,355
-71.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.77 Rp 13.8K
$2.51 ₡1,125
-69.32%
Eggs
$1.46 Rp 26.2K
$3.57 ₡1,603
-59.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.10 Rp 127.5K
$7.43 ₡3,333
-4.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.86 Rp 51.4K
$10.52 ₡4,717
-72.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.32 Rp 131.4K
$13.97 ₡6,265
-47.60%
Apples (1kg)
$2.25 Rp 40.5K
$2.35 ₡1,052
-4.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.10 Rp 19.7K
$1.61 ₡720
-31.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.50 Rp 26.8K
$4.80 ₡2,152
-68.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.90 Rp 16.1K
$1.61 ₡724
-44.10%
Potato (1kg)
$1.09 Rp 19.6K
$3.80 ₡1,703
-71.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.91 Rp 34.2K
$3.69 ₡1,657
-48.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 Rp 12.4K
$1.13 ₡507
-38.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 Rp 5,643
$2.66 ₡1,191
-88.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.30 Rp 41.3K
$5.18 ₡2,321
-55.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.56 Rp 386.9K
$19.88 ₡8,916
8.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.85 Rp 33.1K
$2.90 ₡1,300
-36.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 Rp 56.2K
$3.63 ₡1,626
-13.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Purwokerto
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.22 Rp 3,952
$1.12 ₡504
-80.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.76 Rp 211.0K
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-83.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.49 Rp 8,726
$2.14 ₡958
-77.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 Rp 5,718
$1.57 ₡703
-79.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.31 Rp 41.5K
$8.52 ₡3,823
-72.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.86 Rp 15.4K
$1.52 ₡682
-43.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.5K Rp 385.5M
$21.6K ₡9.7M
-0.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.1K Rp 522.8M
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-15.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Purwokerto
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.37 Rp 598.7K
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-65.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$2.71 Rp 48.6K
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-92.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.22 Rp 344.8K
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-64.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Purwokerto
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.30 Rp 346.2K
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-73.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.12 Rp 199.5K
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-68.15%
Cinema Ticket
$2.46 Rp 44.1K
$7.89 ₡3,539
-68.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Purwokerto
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$95.2 Rp 1.7M
$494 ₡221.6K
-80.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,212 Rp 129.4M
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-39.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Purwokerto
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.65 Rp 711.5K
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-26.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.73 Rp 551.4K
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-44.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.7 Rp 1.3M
$77.9 ₡34.9K
-9.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.3 Rp 1.3M
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-11.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Purwokerto
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$141 Rp 2.5M
$788 ₡353.4K
-82.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$68.9 Rp 1.2M
$794 ₡356.2K
-91.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$591 Rp 10.6M
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-85.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$255 Rp 4.6M
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-82.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,372 Rp 24.6M
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-80.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$284 Rp 5.1M
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-76.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Purwokerto
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$116 Rp 2.1M
$864 ₡387.3K
-86.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.45
8.62
-1.97%

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

Last update for Purwokerto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Purwokerto
$186
Nosara
$352 89% $166
Clothing & Footwear
Purwokerto
$95
Nosara
$120 26.2% $25
Accommodation & Living
Purwokerto
$69
Nosara
$794 1052% $725
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Purwokerto
$55
Nosara
$186 236% $130
Eating Out
Purwokerto
$55
Nosara
$212 284% $157
Sport & Entertainment
Purwokerto
$24
Nosara
$87 261% $63
Getting Around
Purwokerto
$15
Nosara
$87 492% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $141 in Purwokerto 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 646% 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 Purwokerto versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $352 – making Purwokerto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Purwokerto
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
11:00 11:00 AM
22:00 10:00 PM
13 h behind Purwokerto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
292,782
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 17,943 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD). 1 EUR = 20,204 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.95 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Purwokerto Nosara 18,350 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Purwokerto
  • 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
Purwokerto vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Purwokerto and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $500 in Purwokerto, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 268% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Purwokerto compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $750 per month in Purwokerto and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Purwokerto and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Purwokerto, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Purwokerto and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 518% less in Purwokerto. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Purwokerto and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $95.2 per month in Purwokerto and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Purwokerto, where all-in costs run around $500, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Purwokerto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Purwokerto and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $500 in Purwokerto to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Purwokerto or Nosara safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Purwokerto and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Purwokerto. 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.

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