Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benalmadena and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Benalmadena and in Nosara: $1,832 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Benalmadena
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Benalmadena Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Benalmadena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,832

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,832 per month in Benalmadena vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Benalmadena $1,832
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,761 per month in Benalmadena vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Benalmadena $2,761
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,690 per month in Benalmadena vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Benalmadena $3,690
Nosara $3,818

Benalmadena and Nosara have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Benalmadena and Nosara sit above the global median – Benalmadena by 36%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.75 €13.12

$12.35 ₡5,539

19.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 €60.5

$61.2 ₡27.4K

11.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.36 €8.33

$7.52 ₡3,373

24.47%

Cappuccino

$2.18 €1.94

$4.41 ₡1,978

-50.57%

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

$2.10 €1.87

$1.74 ₡780

20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.31 ₡587

58.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 €2.92

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$4.47 ₡2,004

-0.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.56 ₡701

-24.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.44

$3.02 ₡1,355

-46.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.51 ₡1,125

-28.29%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.10

$3.57 ₡1,603

-2.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.49 €13.78

$7.43 ₡3,333

108.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.27 €7.36

$10.52 ₡4,717

-21.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.01 €14.24

$13.97 ₡6,265

14.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.35 ₡1,052

5.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.61 ₡720

20.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$4.80 ₡2,152

-63.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$1.61 ₡724

60.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.80 ₡1,703

-51.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.69 ₡1,657

-43.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.13 ₡507

31.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$2.66 ₡1,191

-71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 €5.94

$5.18 ₡2,321

28.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.65 €5.91

$19.88 ₡8,916

-66.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$2.90 ₡1,300

-59.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

$3.63 ₡1,626

-47.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.12 ₡504

69.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.58 €28.09

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-56.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.14 ₡958

-14.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.57 ₡703

-22.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.97 €19.54

$8.52 ₡3,823

157.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.52 ₡682

17.76%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

60.19%

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

$29.5K €26.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-14.52%

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

$140 €124

$96.3 ₡43.2K

44.99%

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

$12.81 €11.39

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-64.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.18 €28.63

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-39.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.00 €42.69

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-32.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 €14.32

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-53.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 €7.04

$7.89 ₡3,539

0.25%

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

$557 €496

$494 ₡221.6K

12.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,462 €8,417

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-20.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.8 €79.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

64.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.00 €34.69

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-29.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 €85.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

22.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €98.8

$79.6 ₡35.7K

39.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$972 €864

$788 ₡353.4K

23.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 €796

$794 ₡356.2K

12.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 €1,506

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-57.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 €1,322

$1,419 ₡636.5K

4.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 €3,699

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-39.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,495 €3,109

$1,224 ₡549.0K

185.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,931 €3,497

$864 ₡387.3K

355.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

8.62

-61.83%

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

Last update for Benalmadena: 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

Benalmadena

$895 48.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 11.3% $101

Groceries & Markets

Benalmadena

$277 15.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 27.2% $75

Eating Out

Benalmadena

$214 11.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 1.1% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benalmadena

$185 10.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 0.6% $1.2

Clothing & Footwear

Benalmadena

$150 8.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 20.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Benalmadena

$64 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 36.9% $24

Getting Around

Benalmadena

$47 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 84.8% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $972 in Benalmadena 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 355% higher in Benalmadena. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Benalmadena versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $277 in Benalmadena vs $352 in Nosara – so Benalmadena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Benalmadena

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:41 3:41 AM

19:41 7:41 PM

8 h behind Benalmadena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,801

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Benalmadena Nosara 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Benalmadena
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

Benalmadena vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,748 per month in Benalmadena 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 Benalmadena, 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 $68.0 in Benalmadena and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 130% less in Benalmadena. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Benalmadena, where all-in costs run around $1,832, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Benalmadena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Benalmadena – 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 Benalmadena. 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.