Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bentonville, AR and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,367 in Bentonville, AR, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bentonville, AR outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Bentonville, AR
Learn more

Bentonville, AR Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Bentonville, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,367

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,367 per month in Bentonville, AR vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Bentonville, AR $2,367
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,451 per month in Bentonville, AR vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Bentonville, AR $3,451
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,535 per month in Bentonville, AR vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Bentonville, AR $4,535
Nosara $3,818

Bentonville, AR costs about 29% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bentonville, AR and Nosara sit above the global median – Bentonville, AR by 75%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.14 $20.14

$12.35 ₡5,539

63.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 $59.8

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-2.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.42 $12.42

$7.52 ₡3,373

65.16%

Cappuccino

$5.43 $5.43

$4.41 ₡1,978

23.13%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$1.74 ₡780

47.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.31 ₡587

37.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 $6.64

$3.28 ₡1,471

102.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 $7.43

$4.47 ₡2,004

66.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.56 ₡701

-33.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.02 ₡1,355

-7.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.51 ₡1,125

70.52%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$3.57 ₡1,603

12.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 $9.38

$7.43 ₡3,333

26.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 $9.87

$10.52 ₡4,717

-6.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.54 $13.54

$13.97 ₡6,265

-3.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.35 ₡1,052

71.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.61 ₡720

-19.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$4.80 ₡2,152

-35.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.61 ₡724

55.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$3.80 ₡1,703

-53.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$3.69 ₡1,657

-41.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.13 ₡507

67.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.66 ₡1,191

-17.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.95 $7.95

$5.18 ₡2,321

53.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.20 $12.20

$19.88 ₡8,916

-38.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.63 ₡1,626

-15.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.14 ₡958

18.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.57 ₡703

-19.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.0 $59.0

$8.52 ₡3,823

592.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.52 ₡682

-44.74%

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

$31.4K $31.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

45.09%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-27.11%

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

$187 $187

$96.3 ₡43.2K

94.49%

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

$52.0 $52.0

$35.89 ₡16.1K

44.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$53.6 ₡24.0K

18.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.06 $22.06

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-69.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.11 $5.11

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-85.36%

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 $15.20

$7.89 ₡3,539

92.65%

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

$1,196 $1,196

$494 ₡221.6K

142.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K $21.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

80.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.44 $46.44

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-13.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.86 $38.86

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-29.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.6 $65.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-15.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.3 $77.3

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-2.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,668 $1,668

$788 ₡353.4K

111.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 $1,245

$794 ₡356.2K

56.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,047 $3,047

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-22.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,120 $2,120

$1,419 ₡636.5K

49.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,936 $3,936

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-43.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,390 $2,390

$1,224 ₡549.0K

95.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,644 $5,644

$864 ₡387.3K

553.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

8.62

-23.90%

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

Last update for Bentonville, AR: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bentonville, AR

$1.2K 52.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 36.2% $451

Eating Out

Bentonville, AR

$329 13.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 35.6% $117

Groceries & Markets

Bentonville, AR

$325 13.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bentonville, AR

$303 12.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 38.7% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Bentonville, AR

$103 4.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Bentonville, AR

$52 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 66.5% $35

Getting Around

Bentonville, AR

$8.8 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 885% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,668 in Bentonville, AR 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 554% higher in Bentonville, AR, 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 $60.0 in Bentonville, AR versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $352 – making Bentonville, AR the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bentonville, AR

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

12:34 12:34 PM

1 h behind Bentonville, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,164

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bentonville, AR Nosara 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bentonville, AR
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

Bentonville, AR vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,367 in Bentonville, AR, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,550 per month in Bentonville, AR 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 Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,367 in Bentonville, AR and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 29%.

Kindergarten costs $1,196 per month in Bentonville, AR and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Bentonville, AR at $2,367. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bentonville, AR 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,367 in Bentonville, AR. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bentonville, AR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.