Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Beijing (Pekin): $1,178 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,178

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,178 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,178
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,895 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,895
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,612 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,612
Nosara $3,712

Beijing (Pekin) is about 36% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Beijing (Pekin) sits 12% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.54 ¥30.39

$12.22 ₡5,509

-62.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.25 ¥196

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-51.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 ¥35.59

$7.54 ₡3,399

-29.44%

Cappuccino

$3.52 ¥23.57

$4.31 ₡1,941

-18.33%

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

$0.53 ¥3.56

$1.72 ₡773

-69.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$1.35 ₡608

-79.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$3.24 ₡1,459

-62.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥11.15

$4.48 ₡2,018

-62.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.57 ₡707

6.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.81

$3.17 ₡1,429

-44.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$2.42 ₡1,091

-46.69%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥13.68

$3.57 ₡1,609

-42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.52 ¥97.2

$7.43 ₡3,349

95.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ¥21.46

$10.42 ₡4,697

-69.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥75.2

$13.66 ₡6,156

-17.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.96

$2.32 ₡1,044

-9.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.52

$1.61 ₡728

6.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 ¥13.44

$4.74 ₡2,138

-57.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$1.66 ₡747

-6.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.52

$3.72 ₡1,679

-81.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.70

$3.57 ₡1,611

-76.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ¥4.96

$1.10 ₡497

-32.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.14

$2.55 ₡1,149

-75.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ¥29.57

$4.95 ₡2,232

-10.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 ¥92.7

$20.01 ₡9,020

-30.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.88

$2.79 ₡1,256

-63.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.11

$3.53 ₡1,589

-48.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 ¥4.31

$1.19 ₡537

-46.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.88 ¥234

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-51.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 ¥13.25

$2.24 ₡1,011

-11.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$1.55 ₡701

-77.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.65 ¥51.2

$8.86 ₡3,993

-13.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.57 ₡708

-19.11%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-10.14%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-47.65%

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

$59.0 ¥395

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-36.86%

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

$8.94 ¥59.9

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-74.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.15 ¥94.7

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-72.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥273

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-42.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.56 ¥164

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-30.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 ¥49.37

$7.84 ₡3,535

-5.87%

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

$650 ¥4,353

$490 ₡220.7K

32.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.8K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

105.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 ¥471

$53.5 ₡24.1K

31.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.51 ¥271

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-27.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 ¥586

$79.3 ₡35.7K

10.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 ¥830

$78.9 ₡35.6K

57.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,246

$786 ₡354.3K

18.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$518 ¥3,469

$780 ₡351.6K

-33.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,387 ¥16.0K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-38.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 ¥7,654

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-18.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.6K ¥84.1K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

80.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,393 ¥42.8K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

432.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,710 ¥11.4K

$876 ₡395.0K

95.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.21

8.62

-62.76%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$518 44%

Nosara

$780 43% 50.5% $262

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$228 19.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 53.3% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$145 12.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 17.1% $25

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$107 9.1%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 95.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 7%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 119% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 56.8% $32

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 111% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Beijing (Pekin) 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 95% higher in Beijing (Pekin), 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 $29.00 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $350 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:38 9:38 AM

19:38 7:38 PM

14 h behind Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Beijing (Pekin) Nosara 14,020 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Beijing (Pekin)
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

Beijing (Pekin) vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,768 per month in Beijing (Pekin) 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 Beijing (Pekin), 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 $29.00 in Beijing (Pekin) and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,178 in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 56%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Beijing (Pekin), where all-in costs run around $1,178, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Beijing (Pekin) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beijing (Pekin) – 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 Beijing (Pekin). 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.