Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Semarang and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Semarang: $599 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
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Semarang Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$599

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $599 per month in Semarang vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Semarang $599
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $945 per month in Semarang vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Semarang $945
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,292 per month in Semarang vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Semarang $1,292
Nosara $3,818

Semarang is about 67% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Semarang sits 56% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.39 Rp 25.0K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-88.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.63 Rp 191.3K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-82.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.07 Rp 55.3K

$7.52 ₡3,373

-59.18%

Cappuccino

$1.28 Rp 23.1K

$4.41 ₡1,978

-70.98%

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

$0.48 Rp 8,633

$1.74 ₡780

-72.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 Rp 3,641

$1.31 ₡587

-84.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 Rp 29.2K

$3.28 ₡1,471

-50.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 Rp 61.1K

$4.47 ₡2,004

-24.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 Rp 19.3K

$1.56 ₡701

-31.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

$3.02 ₡1,355

-70.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 Rp 14.0K

$2.51 ₡1,125

-68.92%

Eggs

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

$3.57 ₡1,603

-65.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.99 Rp 71.9K

$7.43 ₡3,333

-46.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.44 Rp 44.0K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-76.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.53 Rp 135.5K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-46.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 Rp 37.3K

$2.35 ₡1,052

-11.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$1.61 ₡720

-21.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

$4.80 ₡2,152

-61.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

$1.61 ₡724

-7.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

$3.80 ₡1,703

-63.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

$3.69 ₡1,657

-46.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 Rp 16.3K

$1.13 ₡507

-20.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 Rp 7,529

$2.66 ₡1,191

-84.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.96 Rp 35.3K

$5.18 ₡2,321

-62.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.63 Rp 443.3K

$19.88 ₡8,916

23.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 Rp 36.1K

$3.63 ₡1,626

-44.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,778

$1.12 ₡504

-81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.21 Rp 255.8K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-80.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,539

$2.14 ₡958

-78.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 Rp 4,808

$1.57 ₡703

-82.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 Rp 49.0K

$8.52 ₡3,823

-68.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

$1.52 ₡682

-46.05%

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

$25.2K Rp 453.9M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

16.69%

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

$32.3K Rp 581.4M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-6.42%

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

$85.9 Rp 1.5M

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-10.78%

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

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-92.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.37 Rp 348.6K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-63.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.70 Rp 372.6K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-71.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.68 Rp 84.2K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-86.59%

Cinema Ticket

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

$7.89 ₡3,539

-72.24%

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

$51.1 Rp 920.3K

$494 ₡221.6K

-89.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,063 Rp 37.1M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-82.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.51 Rp 639.1K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-34.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.67 Rp 534.1K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-46.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.9 Rp 1.0M

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-26.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.38 Rp 690.8K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-51.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$231 Rp 4.1M

$788 ₡353.4K

-70.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 Rp 2.5M

$794 ₡356.2K

-82.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 Rp 9.0M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-87.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 Rp 6.8M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-73.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,211 Rp 21.8M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-82.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$825 Rp 14.9M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-32.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$191 Rp 3.4M

$864 ₡387.3K

-77.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.82

8.62

2.32%

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

Last update for Semarang: 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

Semarang

$186 31%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 89.7% $167

Accommodation & Living

Semarang

$138 23%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 477% $657

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Semarang

$108 18%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 72.1% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Semarang

$72 12.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 66.3% $48

Eating Out

Semarang

$53 8.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 297% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Semarang

$25 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 248% $62

Getting Around

Semarang

$17 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 417% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $231 in Semarang 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 353% 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 $11.00 in Semarang versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $352 – making Semarang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Semarang

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

02:35 2:35 AM

13 h behind Semarang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,555,984

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 18, 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 18, 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

Semarang Nosara 18,220 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Semarang
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

Semarang vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $599 in Semarang, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 207% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $898 per month in Semarang 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 Semarang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 411% less in Semarang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $51.1 per month in Semarang and $494 in Nosara. 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 Semarang, where all-in costs run around $599, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Semarang 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 $599 in Semarang 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 Semarang. 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.