Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seri Iskandar and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Seri Iskandar: $708 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Seri Iskandar
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Seri Iskandar Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Seri Iskandar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$708

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $708 per month in Seri Iskandar vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Seri Iskandar $708
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $917 per month in Seri Iskandar vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Seri Iskandar $917
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $1,126 per month in Seri Iskandar vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Seri Iskandar $1,126
Nosara $3,820

Seri Iskandar is about 62% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seri Iskandar sits 48% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 MYR 11.18

$12.36 ₡5,575

-77.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.75 MYR 121

$60.8 ₡27.4K

-51.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 MYR 19.24

$7.88 ₡3,557

-40.10%

Cappuccino

$1.02 MYR 4.15

$4.40 ₡1,986

-76.82%

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

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$1.72 ₡776

-69.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 MYR 1.06

$1.34 ₡603

-80.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 MYR 12.19

$3.34 ₡1,505

-10.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 MYR 14.73

$4.54 ₡2,048

-20.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MYR 6.43

$1.64 ₡739

-3.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 MYR 3.88

$3.16 ₡1,426

-69.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$2.39 ₡1,080

-78.66%

Eggs

$2.03 MYR 8.25

$3.47 ₡1,564

-41.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.31 MYR 21.65

$7.13 ₡3,217

-25.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.94 MYR 7.89

$10.32 ₡4,655

-81.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.47 MYR 18.21

$13.97 ₡6,302

-68.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 MYR 8.80

$2.29 ₡1,031

-5.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.88

$1.62 ₡731

4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MYR 8.06

$4.81 ₡2,169

-58.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 MYR 4.19

$1.68 ₡758

-38.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 MYR 2.56

$3.91 ₡1,765

-83.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 MYR 3.89

$3.63 ₡1,640

-73.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MYR 4.15

$1.13 ₡509

-9.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 MYR 2.56

$2.63 ₡1,188

-76.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 MYR 17.87

$5.02 ₡2,267

-12.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 MYR 30.21

$19.71 ₡8,893

-62.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 MYR 9.93

$2.91 ₡1,314

-16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 MYR 15.15

$3.54 ₡1,597

5.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 MYR 4.41

$1.21 ₡545

-10.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.26 MYR 49.96

$73.8 ₡33.3K

-83.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 MYR 4.17

$2.15 ₡969

-52.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MYR 5.03

$1.63 ₡738

-23.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 MYR 19.83

$8.77 ₡3,958

-44.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 MYR 2.50

$1.55 ₡700

-60.65%

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

$19.4K MYR 78.9K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-42.83%

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

$19.6K MYR 79.8K

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-49.08%

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

$62.8 MYR 256

$95.2 ₡43.0K

-34.07%

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

$8.98 MYR 36.60

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-75.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.79 MYR 68.4

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-67.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.48 MYR 54.9

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-80.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.76 MYR 27.55

$35.55 ₡16.0K

-80.98%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 MYR 15.21

$7.54 ₡3,404

-50.53%

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

$237 MYR 965

$496 ₡224.0K

-52.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K MYR 53.4K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

11.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.83 MYR 68.6

$55.1 ₡24.9K

-69.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$8.68 MYR 35.36

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-84.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 MYR 246

$77.8 ₡35.1K

-22.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.27 MYR 152

$79.1 ₡35.7K

-52.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 MYR 1,707

$817 ₡368.9K

-48.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 MYR 1,169

$806 ₡363.6K

-64.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 MYR 3,175

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-80.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 MYR 659

$1,429 ₡644.9K

-88.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,030 MYR 8,271

$7,068 ₡3.2M

-71.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,168 MYR 4,758

$1,197 ₡540.1K

-2.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$366 MYR 1,489

$888 ₡400.7K

-58.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-76.80%

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

Last update for Seri Iskandar: October 27, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seri Iskandar

$287 40.6%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 181% $519

Groceries & Markets

Seri Iskandar

$158 22.4%

Nosara

$351 19% 122% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seri Iskandar

$89 12.5%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 107% $95

Eating Out

Seri Iskandar

$74 10.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 190% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Seri Iskandar

$55 7.8%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 118% $65

Getting Around

Seri Iskandar

$24 3.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 274% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Seri Iskandar

$21 3%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 295% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $419 in Seri Iskandar versus $817 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 in Nosara are about 2.4 times higher, 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 $30 in Seri Iskandar versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $158 vs $351 – making Seri Iskandar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Seri Iskandar

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

09:41 9:41 AM

14 h behind Seri Iskandar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,827

4,912

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seri Iskandar Nosara 18,260 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Seri Iskandar
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

Seri Iskandar vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $708 in Seri Iskandar, $1,846 in Nosara – roughly 161% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,061 per month in Seri Iskandar and $2,769 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seri Iskandar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $419 there versus $817 in Nosara.

Public transport costs about 83% less in Seri Iskandar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $237 per month in Seri Iskandar and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Seri Iskandar, where all-in costs run around $708, than in Nosara at $1,846. In Seri Iskandar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seri Iskandar – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Seri Iskandar. 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.