Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ben Arous

For one person, living is cheaper in Ben Arous: $698 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Ben Arous
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Ben Arous Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Ben Arous

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ben Arous

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 Ben Arous actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $698 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Ben Arous $698

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,098 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Ben Arous $1,098

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,497 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Ben Arous $1,497

Nosara costs about 163% more than Ben Arous, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Ben Arous is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.31 TND 15.90

132.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$19.81 TND 59.3

208.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.06 TND 15.14

48.62%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.16 TND 3.48

280.17%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.65 TND 1.95

167.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.27 TND 0.81

385.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.65 TND 4.95

98.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.04 TND 6.12

119.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.52 TND 1.54

200.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.10 TND 0.29

2920.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.70 TND 5.08

47.65%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.48 TND 4.43

141.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.27 TND 30.76

-27.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.91 TND 17.70

78.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$17.19 TND 51.5

-18.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.67 TND 5.01

40.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$4.47 TND 13.38

-63.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$0.95 TND 2.84

405.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.80 TND 2.41

101.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.90 TND 2.69

322.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.66 TND 1.97

459.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.52 TND 1.56

117.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.31 TND 0.93

758.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.49 TND 10.46

48.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.62 TND 19.82

200.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.00 TND 2.99

190.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.23 TND 3.68

195.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.38 TND 1.14

194.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$13.56 TND 40.61

435.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.31 TND 0.93

590.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.31 TND 0.92

406.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.75 TND 5.23

386.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.86 TND 2.58

76.74%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$39.9K TND 119.6K

-45.91%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$23.0K TND 69.0K

49.78%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$53.9 TND 162

78.55%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.87 TND 29.56

263.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$20.83 TND 62.4

157.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$32.08 TND 96.1

123.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$16.52 TND 49.46

111.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.11 TND 15.29

54.40%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$61.0 TND 183

710.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,947 TND 5,830

509.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$43.31 TND 130

24.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$60.2 TND 180

-7.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$85.8 TND 257

-9.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$46.95 TND 141

69.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$209 TND 626

276.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$156 TND 467

409.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$386 TND 1,155

921.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$267 TND 799

432.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$933 TND 2,795

640.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$415 TND 1,243

194.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$247 TND 739

250.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.5

-17.90%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ben Arous: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Ben Arous

$156 22.4% 80.4% $638

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Ben Arous

$204 29.3% 42% $148

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Ben Arous

$88 12.6% 58.6% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Ben Arous

$85 12.1% 54.4% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Ben Arous

$106 15.2% 11.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ben Arous

$42 6.1% 51.6% $45

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Ben Arous

$17 2.4% 80.6% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $209 in Ben Arous. 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 250% 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $20.00 in Ben Arous. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $204 – making Ben Arous the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇳 Ben Arous

🕒 Local time

17:39 5:39 PM

00:39 12:39 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

88,322

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Ben Arous 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ben Arous

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 Ben Arous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $698 in Ben Arous – roughly 163% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,047 in Ben Arous. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ben Arous, 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 $61.0 in Nosara and $20.00 in Ben Arous. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $698 in Ben Arous. That's a gap of about 163%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ben Arous, where all-in costs run around $698, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ben Arous it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $698 in Ben Arous to $1,839 in Nosara. 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 Ben Arous. 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.