Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benxi and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Benxi: $710 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Benxi
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Benxi Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Benxi

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $710 per month in Benxi vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Benxi $710
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,027 per month in Benxi vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Benxi $1,027
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,344 per month in Benxi vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Benxi $1,344
Nosara $3,818

Benxi is about 61% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Benxi sits 47% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ¥20.47

$12.35 ₡5,539

-75.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.56 ¥151

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-63.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$7.52 ₡3,373

-28.72%

Cappuccino

$2.42 ¥16.19

$4.41 ₡1,978

-45.12%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$1.74 ₡780

-72.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$1.31 ₡587

-77.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ¥5.16

$3.28 ₡1,471

-76.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.70

$4.47 ₡2,004

-60.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.58

$1.56 ₡701

20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ¥7.91

$3.02 ₡1,355

-60.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 ¥5.73

$2.51 ₡1,125

-65.74%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$3.57 ₡1,603

-54.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 ¥66.6

$7.43 ₡3,333

34.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.98 ¥19.92

$10.52 ₡4,717

-71.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.87 ¥59.3

$13.97 ₡6,265

-36.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.74

$2.35 ₡1,052

-31.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 ¥9.33

$1.61 ₡720

-13.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$4.80 ₡2,152

-65.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.14

$1.61 ₡724

-14.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$3.80 ₡1,703

-83.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 ¥12.32

$3.69 ₡1,657

-50.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$1.13 ₡507

-45.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥4.69

$2.66 ₡1,191

-73.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.73

$5.18 ₡2,321

-43.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.36 ¥55.9

$19.88 ₡8,916

-57.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$2.90 ₡1,300

-78.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$3.63 ₡1,626

-64.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$1.12 ₡504

-72.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.18 ¥81.4

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-83.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.14 ₡958

-56.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$1.57 ₡703

-80.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ¥20.29

$8.52 ₡3,823

-64.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.55

$1.52 ₡682

-25.66%

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

$19.1K ¥127.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-11.55%

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

$17.6K ¥117.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-48.94%

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

$54.5 ¥364

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-43.45%

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

$6.90 ¥46.10

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-80.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.40 ¥69.6

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-80.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 ¥452

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-5.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.23 ¥55.1

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-76.43%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 ¥38.82

$7.89 ₡3,539

-26.36%

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

$440 ¥2,941

$494 ₡221.6K

-10.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,949 ¥59.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-24.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.00 ¥201

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-44.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.4 ¥558

$55.4 ₡24.8K

50.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.8 ¥399

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-23.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.0 ¥348

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-34.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$134 ¥899

$788 ₡353.4K

-82.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 ¥1,212

$794 ₡356.2K

-77.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$257 ¥1,718

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-93.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 ¥995

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-89.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,794 ¥25.4K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-45.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,967 ¥13.2K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

60.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$457 ¥3,055

$864 ₡387.3K

-47.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-53.60%

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

Last update for Benxi: 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

Benxi

$181 25.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 338% $613

Groceries & Markets

Benxi

$181 25.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 95% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Benxi

$101 14.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 18.5% $19

Eating Out

Benxi

$80 11.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 165% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Benxi

$79 11.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 10.2% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benxi

$72 10.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 159% $114

Getting Around

Benxi

$16 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 448% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $134 in Benxi 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 89% 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 $23.00 in Benxi versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $352 – making Benxi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Benxi

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:00 5:00 PM

03:00 3:00 AM

14 h behind Benxi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

809,655

4,912

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Benxi Nosara 13,570 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Benxi
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

Benxi vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 159% more than Benxi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,065 per month in Benxi 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 Benxi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $440 per month in Benxi and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 95% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Benxi, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Benxi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Benxi costs $710 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Benxi. 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.