Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Selangor and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Selangor: $1,020 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Selangor
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Selangor Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Selangor vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Selangor $1,020
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,469 per month in Selangor vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Selangor $1,469
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,918 per month in Selangor vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Selangor $1,918
Nosara $3,818

Selangor is about 45% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Selangor sits 24% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.33 MYR 17.67

$12.35 ₡5,539

-64.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.20 MYR 78.3

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-68.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.04 MYR 16.46

$7.52 ₡3,373

-46.28%

Cappuccino

$2.26 MYR 9.23

$4.41 ₡1,978

-48.75%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$1.74 ₡780

-55.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$1.31 ₡587

-64.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 MYR 18.08

$3.28 ₡1,471

35.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 MYR 20.24

$4.47 ₡2,004

10.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$1.56 ₡701

23.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.30

$3.02 ₡1,355

-65.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$2.51 ₡1,125

-39.04%

Eggs

$1.92 MYR 7.82

$3.57 ₡1,603

-46.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 MYR 58.2

$7.43 ₡3,333

91.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.78

$10.52 ₡4,717

-58.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 MYR 39.16

$13.97 ₡6,265

-31.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 MYR 14.04

$2.35 ₡1,052

46.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 MYR 7.52

$1.61 ₡720

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.55

$4.80 ₡2,152

-51.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.49

$1.61 ₡724

-1.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 MYR 5.45

$3.80 ₡1,703

-64.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$3.69 ₡1,657

-72.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 MYR 4.52

$1.13 ₡507

-1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.19

$2.66 ₡1,191

-79.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.35

$5.18 ₡2,321

-13.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.53 MYR 79.7

$19.88 ₡8,916

-1.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.64

$2.90 ₡1,300

23.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 MYR 19.81

$3.63 ₡1,626

33.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.12 ₡504

6.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.26 MYR 50.0

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-83.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$2.14 ₡958

-42.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$1.57 ₡703

-20.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 MYR 17.72

$8.52 ₡3,823

-49.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 MYR 2.99

$1.52 ₡682

-51.97%

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

$41.9K MYR 171.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

93.93%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

2.12%

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

$63.4 MYR 258

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-34.20%

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

$8.50 MYR 34.69

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-76.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.97 MYR 106

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-51.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 MYR 168

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-42.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.87 MYR 28.04

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-80.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 MYR 20.59

$7.89 ₡3,539

-35.99%

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

$122 MYR 499

$494 ₡221.6K

-75.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,175 MYR 29.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-39.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MYR 289

$53.9 ₡24.2K

31.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.40 MYR 169

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-25.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 MYR 315

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-1.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.0 MYR 339

$79.6 ₡35.7K

4.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,083

$788 ₡353.4K

-35.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 MYR 1,413

$794 ₡356.2K

-56.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 MYR 3,589

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-77.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 MYR 1,963

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-66.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,578 MYR 6,438

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-77.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$705 MYR 2,875

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-42.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,019 MYR 4,157

$864 ₡387.3K

18.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

8.62

-54.06%

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

Last update for Selangor: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Selangor

$346 34%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 129% $448

Groceries & Markets

Selangor

$266 26.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 32.3% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Selangor

$123 12%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 2% $2.5

Eating Out

Selangor

$111 10.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 90.8% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Selangor

$98 9.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 89.9% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Selangor

$51 5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 70.7% $36

Getting Around

Selangor

$25 2.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 255% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Selangor 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 18% higher in Selangor, 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 $19.00 in Selangor versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $352 – making Selangor the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Selangor

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

00:43 12:43 AM

14 h behind Selangor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

281,717

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

Selangor Nosara 18,350 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Selangor
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

Selangor vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,020 in Selangor, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 80% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,529 per month in Selangor 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 Selangor, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 492% less in Selangor. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $122 per month in Selangor and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Selangor, where all-in costs run around $1,020, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Selangor 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 $1,020 in Selangor 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 Selangor. 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.