Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benin and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Benin: $447 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Benin
Learn more

Benin Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Benin

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$447

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $447 per month in Benin vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Benin $447
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $756 per month in Benin vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Benin $756
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,065 per month in Benin vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Benin $1,065
Nosara $3,818

Benin is about 76% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Benin sits 67% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.28 ₦1,702

$12.35 ₡5,539

-89.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 ₦66.9K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-17.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.51 ₦7,326

$7.52 ₡3,373

-26.73%

Cappuccino

$2.77 ₦3,684

$4.41 ₡1,978

-37.19%

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

$0.27 ₦355

$1.74 ₡780

-84.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ₦218

$1.31 ₡587

-87.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.85 ₦1,136

$3.28 ₡1,471

-74.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₦1,320

$4.47 ₡2,004

-77.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 ₦4,204

$1.56 ₡701

102.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.77 ₦1,026

$3.02 ₡1,355

-74.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 ₦1,610

$2.51 ₡1,125

-51.79%

Eggs

$2.24 ₦2,984

$3.57 ₡1,603

-37.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.63 ₦4,832

$7.43 ₡3,333

-51.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.84 ₦5,114

$10.52 ₡4,717

-63.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.43 ₦5,893

$13.97 ₡6,265

-68.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 ₦2,263

$2.35 ₡1,052

-27.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ₦1,728

$1.61 ₡720

-19.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 ₦1,475

$4.80 ₡2,152

-76.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 ₦1,772

$1.61 ₡724

-17.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 ₦1,779

$3.80 ₡1,703

-64.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ₦1,756

$3.69 ₡1,657

-64.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ₦1,105

$1.13 ₡507

-26.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₦523

$2.66 ₡1,191

-85.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.59 ₦779

$5.18 ₡2,321

-88.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.41 ₦3,205

$19.88 ₡8,916

-87.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₦724

$2.90 ₡1,300

-81.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ₦607

$3.63 ₡1,626

-87.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ₦921

$2.14 ₡958

-67.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₦1,202

$1.57 ₡703

-42.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 ₦2,943

$8.52 ₡3,823

-74.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 ₦967

$1.52 ₡682

-51.97%

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

$11.1K ₦14.7M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-48.73%

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

$13.9K ₦18.4M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-59.84%

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

$114 ₦151.4K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

18.21%

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

$14.69 ₦19.5K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-59.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 ₦44.2K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-38.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$6.21 ₦8,258

$7.89 ₡3,539

-21.29%

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

$655 ₦871.3K

$494 ₡221.6K

32.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K ₦26.2M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

66.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.98 ₦19.9K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-72.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.39 ₦24.5K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-66.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.97 ₦47.8K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-53.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.15 ₦64.0K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-39.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$112 ₦148.6K

$864 ₡387.3K

-87.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.39

8.62

113.34%

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

Last update for Benin: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benin

$162 36.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 14.9% $24

Groceries & Markets

Benin

$147 32.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 140% $205

Eating Out

Benin

$68 15.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 212% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Benin

$53 11.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 127% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Benin

$12 * 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 604% $75

Getting Around

Benin

$5.2 * 1.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1572% $82

Accommodation & Living

Benin

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 673% 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 $50.0 in Benin versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $352 – making Benin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Benin

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:54 2:54 PM

07:54 7:54 AM

7 h behind Benin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,147,188

4,912

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to NGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Benin Nosara 10,020 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Benin
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

Benin vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 311% more than Benin, 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 $671 per month in Benin and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $447 in Benin and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 311%.

Kindergarten costs $655 per month in Benin and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Benin, where all-in costs run around $447, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Benin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Benin costs $447 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 Benin. 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.