Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Serdang and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Serdang: $978 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Serdang
Learn more

Serdang Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Serdang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$978

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $978 per month in Serdang vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Serdang $978
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,422 per month in Serdang vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Serdang $1,422
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,865 per month in Serdang vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Serdang $1,865
Nosara $3,818

Serdang is about 47% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Serdang sits 28% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.52 MYR 10.29

$12.35 ₡5,539

-79.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.01 MYR 69.4

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-72.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.58 MYR 14.62

$7.52 ₡3,373

-52.39%

Cappuccino

$2.01 MYR 8.20

$4.41 ₡1,978

-54.42%

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

$0.84 MYR 3.44

$1.74 ₡780

-51.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$1.31 ₡587

-64.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 MYR 18.06

$3.28 ₡1,471

35.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 MYR 24.56

$4.47 ₡2,004

34.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 MYR 8.68

$1.56 ₡701

36.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 MYR 4.51

$3.02 ₡1,355

-63.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 MYR 7.95

$2.51 ₡1,125

-22.31%

Eggs

$2.49 MYR 10.14

$3.57 ₡1,603

-30.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.89 MYR 56.7

$7.43 ₡3,333

86.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 MYR 18.24

$10.52 ₡4,717

-57.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 MYR 40.47

$13.97 ₡6,265

-28.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 MYR 14.02

$2.35 ₡1,052

46.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.18

$1.61 ₡720

9.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 MYR 9.26

$4.80 ₡2,152

-52.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.52

$1.61 ₡724

-0.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.19

$3.80 ₡1,703

-66.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 MYR 5.51

$3.69 ₡1,657

-63.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.57

$1.13 ₡507

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 MYR 2.93

$2.66 ₡1,191

-72.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 MYR 18.47

$5.18 ₡2,321

-12.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.72 MYR 80.4

$19.88 ₡8,916

-0.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.50 MYR 14.29

$2.90 ₡1,300

20.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 MYR 20.01

$3.63 ₡1,626

35.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MYR 2.82

$1.12 ₡504

-38.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.93 MYR 56.8

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-80.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$2.14 ₡958

-44.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.09

$1.57 ₡703

-20.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 MYR 20.23

$8.52 ₡3,823

-41.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.61

$1.52 ₡682

-42.11%

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

$41.5K MYR 169.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

92.20%

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

$34.4K MYR 140.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-0.40%

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

$61.8 MYR 252

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-35.79%

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

$8.90 MYR 36.30

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-75.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.69 MYR 109

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-50.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.43 MYR 173

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-40.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.33 MYR 29.89

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-79.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 MYR 20.88

$7.89 ₡3,539

-35.11%

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

$298 MYR 1,215

$494 ₡221.6K

-39.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K MYR 53.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

9.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 MYR 290

$53.9 ₡24.2K

31.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.18 MYR 168

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-25.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 MYR 348

$77.9 ₡34.9K

9.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 MYR 397

$79.6 ₡35.7K

22.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MYR 1,607

$788 ₡353.4K

-50.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 MYR 1,231

$794 ₡356.2K

-62.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 MYR 2,794

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-82.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$430 MYR 1,753

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-69.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,783 MYR 7,272

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-74.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,004 MYR 4,096

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-17.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MYR 3,932

$864 ₡387.3K

11.63%

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 Serdang: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Serdang

$302 30.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 163% $492

Groceries & Markets

Serdang

$275 28.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 28.1% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Serdang

$133 13.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Serdang

$97 10%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 90.7% $88

Eating Out

Serdang

$94 9.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 124% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Serdang

$53 5.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 65.9% $35

Getting Around

Serdang

$24 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 261% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Serdang 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 12% higher in Serdang, 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 $17.00 in Serdang versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $352 – making Serdang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Serdang

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

17:20 5:20 PM

14 h behind Serdang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,252

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

Serdang Nosara 18,350 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Serdang
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

Serdang vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $978 in Serdang, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 88% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,467 per month in Serdang 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 Serdang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 421% less in Serdang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $298 per month in Serdang 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 Serdang, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Serdang 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 $978 in Serdang 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 Serdang. 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.