Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Beihai

For one person, living is cheaper in Beihai: $744 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Beihai
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Beihai Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Beihai

🇨🇳 China

$744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Beihai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Beihai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $744 in Beihai, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Beihai $744

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,167 in Beihai, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Beihai $1,167

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,590 in Beihai, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Beihai $1,590

Nosara costs about 147% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Beihai is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$3.40 ¥22.75

263.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$19.56 ¥131

212.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$5.58 ¥37.31

34.77%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$2.43 ¥16.28

81.48%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$0.46 ¥3.09

278.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.30 ¥1.99

336.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$1.22 ¥8.14

168.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$2.29 ¥15.34

95.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.90 ¥12.69

-17.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$1.70 ¥11.36

77.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$1.10 ¥7.33

128.18%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$1.87 ¥12.53

90.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$13.95 ¥93.3

-46.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$2.92 ¥19.54

260.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$10.58 ¥70.8

32.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$2.10 ¥14.03

11.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.48 ¥9.91

8.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$1.52 ¥10.19

215.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.27 ¥8.48

26.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$0.74 ¥4.92

413.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$0.97 ¥6.46

280.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$0.67 ¥4.47

68.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.50 ¥3.33

432.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$3.39 ¥22.70

52.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$12.05 ¥80.6

64.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$0.74 ¥4.95

291.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$1.66 ¥11.10

118.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$0.30 ¥2.02

273.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$17.17 ¥115

323.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$1.56 ¥10.42

37.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$0.31 ¥2.08

406.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$6.21 ¥41.53

37.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.39 ¥9.31

9.35%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$18.2K ¥121.6K

18.83%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.2K ¥121.9K

89.29%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$61.5 ¥411

56.49%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.42 ¥63.0

281.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$12.09 ¥80.9

343.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$40.99 ¥274

74.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$14.01 ¥93.7

149.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$5.71 ¥38.20

38.18%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$458 ¥3,065

7.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$18.3K ¥122.6K

-35.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$48.58 ¥325

11.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$38.03 ¥254

45.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$79.9 ¥534

-2.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$79.0 ¥528

0.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

$279 ¥1,863

182.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

$178 ¥1,190

346.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$718 ¥4,804

448.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

$332 ¥2,221

327.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,665 ¥24.5K

88.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

$2,221 ¥14.9K

-44.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.36

156.55%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Beihai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Beihai

$178 23.9% 77.6% $616

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Beihai

$212 28.5% 39.9% $141

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Beihai

$87 11.7% 59% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Beihai

$83 11.2% 55.3% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Beihai

$110 14.9% 8% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Beihai

$52 7% 40% $35

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Beihai

$22 2.9% 75.3% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $279 in Beihai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $20.00 in Beihai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $212 – making Beihai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇳 Beihai

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,617,500

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Beihai 16,160 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Beihai

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

Nosara vs Beihai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 147% more than Beihai, 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 $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,116 in Beihai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beihai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $20.00 in Beihai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beihai, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Beihai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Beihai costs $744 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 Beihai. 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.