Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $688 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
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Surabaya Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$688

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $688 per month in Surabaya vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Surabaya $688
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,191 per month in Surabaya vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Surabaya $1,191
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,695 per month in Surabaya vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Surabaya $1,695
Nosara $3,712

Surabaya is about 63% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Surabaya sits 49% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.69 Rp 30.2K

$12.22 ₡5,509

-86.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.40 Rp 203.9K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-81.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.05 Rp 54.6K

$7.54 ₡3,399

-59.55%

Cappuccino

$1.57 Rp 28.0K

$4.31 ₡1,941

-63.57%

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

$0.61 Rp 10.8K

$1.72 ₡773

-64.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,026

$1.35 ₡608

-79.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 Rp 40.5K

$3.24 ₡1,459

-30.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 Rp 73.1K

$4.48 ₡2,018

-8.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

$1.57 ₡707

-22.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$3.17 ₡1,429

-59.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.0K

$2.42 ₡1,091

-65.29%

Eggs

$1.20 Rp 21.5K

$3.57 ₡1,609

-66.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.66 Rp 136.9K

$7.43 ₡3,349

3.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 Rp 55.0K

$10.42 ₡4,697

-70.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 Rp 140.3K

$13.66 ₡6,156

-42.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 Rp 37.4K

$2.32 ₡1,044

-9.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.2K

$1.61 ₡728

-19.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 32.6K

$4.74 ₡2,138

-61.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 Rp 27.8K

$1.66 ₡747

-6.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

$3.72 ₡1,679

-65.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.2K

$3.57 ₡1,611

-46.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 Rp 17.2K

$1.10 ₡497

-12.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,679

$2.55 ₡1,149

-83.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.94 Rp 34.6K

$4.95 ₡2,232

-60.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.67 Rp 441.1K

$20.01 ₡9,020

23.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 Rp 30.9K

$2.79 ₡1,256

-37.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 53.5K

$3.53 ₡1,589

-15.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 Rp 5,669

$1.19 ₡537

-73.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,519

$2.24 ₡1,011

-78.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,679

$1.55 ₡701

-72.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 Rp 46.7K

$8.86 ₡3,993

-70.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.8K

$1.57 ₡708

-47.13%

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

$25.0K Rp 446.0M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

14.44%

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

$32.8K Rp 585.5M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-5.43%

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

$86.2 Rp 1.5M

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-7.80%

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

$4.58 Rp 81.9K

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-86.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.24 Rp 343.9K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-62.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.96 Rp 321.0K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-74.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.82 Rp 121.9K

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-80.76%

Cinema Ticket

$2.72 Rp 48.7K

$7.84 ₡3,535

-65.31%

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

$280 Rp 5.0M

$490 ₡220.7K

-42.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,557 Rp 170.8M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-19.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 Rp 1.3M

$53.5 ₡24.1K

30.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.31 Rp 702.6K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-29.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 Rp 1.5M

$79.3 ₡35.7K

2.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.4 Rp 1.3M

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-6.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$279 Rp 5.0M

$786 ₡354.3K

-64.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 Rp 2.6M

$780 ₡351.6K

-81.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 Rp 22.3M

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-67.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 Rp 11.1M

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-55.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,155 Rp 38.5M

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-69.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,047 Rp 18.7M

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-12.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$273 Rp 4.9M

$876 ₡395.0K

-68.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

8.62

-12.99%

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

Last update for Surabaya: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$209 30.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 67.2% $140

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$147 21.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 431% $633

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$119 17.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 1.2% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$110 16.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 63.7% $70

Eating Out

Surabaya

$65 9.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 224% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$23 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 272% $64

Getting Around

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 2133% $83

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $279 in Surabaya versus $786 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 221% 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 Surabaya versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $350 – making Surabaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

19:56 7:56 PM

13 h behind Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

4,912

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surabaya Nosara 17,970 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Surabaya
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

Surabaya vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $688 in Surabaya, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 167% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,032 per month in Surabaya and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Surabaya and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 67% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surabaya, where all-in costs run around $688, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Surabaya 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 $688 in Surabaya to $1,837 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 Surabaya. 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.