Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bengbu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bengbu: $666 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Bengbu
Learn more

Bengbu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Bengbu

🇨🇳 China

$666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bengbu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $666 in Bengbu.

Nosara $1,839
Bengbu $666

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,043 in Bengbu.

Nosara $2,828
Bengbu $1,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,420 in Bengbu.

Nosara $3,818
Bengbu $1,420

Living in Nosara is roughly 176% more expensive than in Bengbu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Bengbu is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$2.31 ¥15.42

434.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$10.50 ¥70.2

482.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$4.76 ¥31.81

57.98%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$3.15 ¥21.09

40.00%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$0.47 ¥3.16

270.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.25 ¥1.66

424.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$1.45 ¥9.67

126.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$2.21 ¥14.75

102.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$2.18 ¥14.57

-28.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$1.02 ¥6.82

196.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$0.72 ¥4.85

248.61%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$1.32 ¥8.83

170.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$10.42 ¥69.7

-28.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$3.04 ¥20.30

246.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$9.00 ¥60.2

55.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$1.50 ¥10.03

56.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.07 ¥7.13

50.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$1.52 ¥10.16

215.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$0.78 ¥5.22

106.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$0.62 ¥4.16

512.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$0.63 ¥4.20

485.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$0.76 ¥5.09

48.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.43 ¥2.90

518.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$2.93 ¥19.57

76.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$6.10 ¥40.82

225.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$0.76 ¥5.11

281.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$1.47 ¥9.86

146.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$0.31 ¥2.09

261.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$20.48 ¥137

254.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$1.61 ¥10.76

32.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$0.38 ¥2.57

313.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$9.15 ¥61.2

-6.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.29 ¥8.66

17.83%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$19.2K ¥128.4K

12.53%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$16.6K ¥111.3K

107.47%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$36.70 ¥245

162.37%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$5.39 ¥36.02

565.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$7.07 ¥47.25

657.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$41.28 ¥276

73.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$16.25 ¥109

114.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$5.99 ¥40.08

31.72%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$417 ¥2,789

18.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$22.1K ¥148.0K

-46.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$43.41 ¥290

24.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$33.77 ¥226

64.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$66.1 ¥442

17.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$88.5 ¥592

-10.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

$294 ¥1,969

167.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

$181 ¥1,209

339.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$586 ¥3,921

571.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

$349 ¥2,335

306.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,507 ¥23.5K

97.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

$2,194 ¥14.7K

-44.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

$668 ¥4,469

29.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.42

152.05%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bengbu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Bengbu

$181 27.2% 77.2% $613

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Bengbu

$168 25.2% 52.4% $184

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Bengbu

$85 12.8% 59.8% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Bengbu

$49 7.4% 73.5% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Bengbu

$104 15.7% 13.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bengbu

$53 8% 39% $34

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Bengbu

$25 3.8% 71% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $294 in Bengbu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 29% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $11.00 in Bengbu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $168 per month, with Bengbu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇳 Bengbu

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

3,296,408

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Bengbu 14,660 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bengbu

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 Bengbu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bengbu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 176% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $294 in Bengbu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $417 in Bengbu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 110% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $666 in Bengbu versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bengbu but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Bengbu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bengbu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Bengbu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bengbu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 176% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.