Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sibu and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $866 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$866

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $866 per month in Sibu vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Sibu $866
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,293 per month in Sibu vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Sibu $1,293
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $1,720 per month in Sibu vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Sibu $1,720
Nosara $3,814

Sibu is about 53% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sibu sits 36% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.16 MYR 8.82

$12.34 ₡5,535

-82.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.47 MYR 79.4

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-68.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.21 MYR 17.18

$7.76 ₡3,481

-45.75%

Cappuccino

$2.38 MYR 9.70

$4.44 ₡1,992

-46.40%

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

$0.67 MYR 2.74

$1.79 ₡803

-62.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 MYR 0.93

$1.29 ₡580

-82.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 MYR 11.92

$3.24 ₡1,451

-9.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MYR 17.96

$4.43 ₡1,985

-0.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MYR 7.33

$1.55 ₡696

16.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 MYR 3.65

$3.08 ₡1,380

-71.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$2.53 ₡1,133

-33.99%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.16

$3.45 ₡1,546

-35.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.65 MYR 47.53

$7.32 ₡3,284

59.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.84 MYR 15.66

$10.24 ₡4,594

-62.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MYR 39.55

$14.10 ₡6,326

-31.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 MYR 15.16

$2.29 ₡1,027

62.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.26

$1.64 ₡737

-6.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.55

$4.79 ₡2,149

-51.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.62

$1.64 ₡735

-15.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$3.85 ₡1,727

-70.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.29

$3.75 ₡1,681

-65.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MYR 4.76

$1.09 ₡488

7.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.22

$2.59 ₡1,160

-79.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 MYR 18.48

$5.12 ₡2,295

-11.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.28 MYR 74.6

$19.92 ₡8,931

-8.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 MYR 11.64

$2.80 ₡1,255

1.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 MYR 18.38

$3.52 ₡1,580

28.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$1.22 ₡549

-31.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.85 MYR 56.5

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-81.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.40 MYR 5.70

$2.17 ₡973

-35.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 MYR 2.18

$1.56 ₡698

-65.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.01 MYR 32.68

$8.67 ₡3,886

-7.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.28

$1.55 ₡697

-48.39%

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

$49.1K MYR 200.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

42.14%

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

$35.6K MYR 145.4K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-8.01%

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

$49.59 MYR 202

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-47.70%

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

$7.14 MYR 29.14

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-80.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.47 MYR 108

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-50.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.94 MYR 110

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-63.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.44 MYR 26.26

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-81.93%

Cinema Ticket

$3.74 MYR 15.24

$7.91 ₡3,548

-52.72%

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

$181 MYR 739

$490 ₡219.9K

-63.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,906 MYR 28.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-41.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 MYR 226

$54.8 ₡24.6K

1.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.48 MYR 124

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-45.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 MYR 364

$80.4 ₡36.0K

10.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.2 MYR 307

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-3.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 MYR 1,386

$801 ₡359.1K

-57.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 MYR 1,150

$790 ₡354.1K

-64.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$597 MYR 2,437

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-85.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 MYR 1,841

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-67.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,782 MYR 7,272

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-74.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$966 MYR 3,941

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-21.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$496 MYR 2,021

$887 ₡397.6K

-44.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

8.62

-52.90%

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

Last update for Sibu: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sibu

$282 32.6%

Nosara

$790 43% 180% $508

Groceries & Markets

Sibu

$247 28.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 41.7% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Sibu

$113 13%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 7.4% $8.4

Eating Out

Sibu

$85 9.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 149% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sibu

$83 9.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 121% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Sibu

$34 4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 160% $55

Getting Around

Sibu

$21 2.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 317% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $340 in Sibu versus $801 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 79% 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 $19.00 in Sibu versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $247 vs $350 – making Sibu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sibu

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:54 12:54 AM

10:54 10:54 AM

14 h behind Sibu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,239

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 20, 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 20, 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

Sibu Nosara 17,640 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Sibu
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

Sibu vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $866 in Sibu, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 112% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,299 per month in Sibu and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sibu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 434% less in Sibu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $181 per month in Sibu and $490 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 Sibu, where all-in costs run around $866, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Sibu 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 $866 in Sibu to $1,835 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 Sibu. 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.