Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawang and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $741 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
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Rawang Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$741

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $741 per month in Rawang vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Rawang $741
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,183 per month in Rawang vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Rawang $1,183
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,624 per month in Rawang vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Rawang $1,624
Nosara $3,818

Rawang is about 60% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rawang sits 45% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 MYR 15.31

$12.35 ₡5,539

-69.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.68 MYR 80.3

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-67.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 MYR 20.55

$7.52 ₡3,373

-32.98%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 12.20

$4.41 ₡1,978

-32.20%

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

$0.83 MYR 3.38

$1.74 ₡780

-52.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.61

$1.31 ₡587

-70.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.25 MYR 17.33

$3.28 ₡1,471

29.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 17.89

$4.47 ₡2,004

-1.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 MYR 7.96

$1.56 ₡701

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$3.02 ₡1,355

-65.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.19

$2.51 ₡1,125

-29.88%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.08

$3.57 ₡1,603

-37.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.15 MYR 57.7

$7.43 ₡3,333

90.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 MYR 18.29

$10.52 ₡4,717

-57.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 MYR 40.19

$13.97 ₡6,265

-29.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 MYR 12.49

$2.35 ₡1,052

30.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 MYR 7.49

$1.61 ₡720

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 MYR 10.73

$4.80 ₡2,152

-45.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.89

$1.61 ₡724

-10.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.37

$3.80 ₡1,703

-65.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.43

$3.69 ₡1,657

-63.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.80

$1.13 ₡507

4.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.34

$2.66 ₡1,191

-78.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 MYR 18.53

$5.18 ₡2,321

-12.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.13 MYR 78.1

$19.88 ₡8,916

-3.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 MYR 12.09

$2.90 ₡1,300

2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 MYR 20.75

$3.63 ₡1,626

40.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$1.12 ₡504

-31.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.31 MYR 50.2

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-83.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.77

$2.14 ₡958

-22.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 MYR 1.52

$1.57 ₡703

-76.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.88 MYR 28.05

$8.52 ₡3,823

-19.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.64

$1.52 ₡682

-41.45%

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

$42.4K MYR 173.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

96.24%

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

$34.7K MYR 141.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

0.41%

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

$36.56 MYR 149

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-62.03%

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

$9.78 MYR 39.90

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-72.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.31 MYR 120

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-45.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.87 MYR 163

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-44.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.13 MYR 29.08

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-79.58%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 MYR 19.99

$7.89 ₡3,539

-37.90%

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

$301 MYR 1,227

$494 ₡221.6K

-39.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-7.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 244

$53.9 ₡24.2K

10.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.75 MYR 146

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-35.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 MYR 337

$77.9 ₡34.9K

5.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 MYR 289

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-10.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$140 MYR 569

$788 ₡353.4K

-82.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$103 MYR 421

$794 ₡356.2K

-87.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 MYR 2,354

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-85.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 MYR 945

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-83.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,051 MYR 8,368

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-70.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,090 MYR 4,445

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-10.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,035 MYR 4,223

$864 ₡387.3K

19.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.18

8.62

-51.51%

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

Last update for Rawang: 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

Rawang

$266 35.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 32.5% $86

Eating Out

Rawang

$116 15.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 82.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Rawang

$112 15.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 7.2% $8

Accommodation & Living

Rawang

$103 13.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 669% $691

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawang

$76 10.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 146% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Rawang

$50 6.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 75.9% $38

Getting Around

Rawang

$19 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 361% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $140 in Rawang 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 20% higher in Rawang, 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 $20.00 in Rawang versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $352 – making Rawang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Rawang

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:36 9:36 AM

19:36 7:36 PM

14 h behind Rawang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

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).

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).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rawang Nosara 18,330 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Rawang
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

Rawang vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $741 in Rawang, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 148% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,112 per month in Rawang 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 Rawang, 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 Rawang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $301 per month in Rawang and $494 in Nosara. 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 Rawang, where all-in costs run around $741, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Rawang 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 $741 in Rawang 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 Rawang. 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.