Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Benidorm

Name: Benidorm
Address: Benidorm, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Benidorm: $1,689 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Nosara despite lower rent and utilities.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Benidorm
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Benidorm Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Benidorm

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Benidorm

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,689 in Benidorm, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Benidorm $1,689

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,487 in Benidorm, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Benidorm $2,487

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,284 in Benidorm, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Benidorm $3,284

Nosara costs about 9% more than Benidorm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Benidorm sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Benidorm by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$17.29 €15.38

-28.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$52.8 €46.96

15.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$12.46 €11.08

-39.65%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.38 €2.12

85.29%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.34 €2.08

-25.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.17 €1.04

11.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.38 €3.00

-2.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.65 €3.25

22.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.14 €1.01

36.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.34 €1.19

125.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.41 €1.25

78.01%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.38 €3.00

5.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.95 €9.74

-32.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$7.78 €6.92

35.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$15.79 €14.05

-11.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.09 €1.86

12.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.86 €1.66

-13.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.89 €1.68

153.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.64 €2.35

-39.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.72 €1.53

120.93%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.75 €1.56

110.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.11 €0.99

1.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.40 €0.36

565.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.07 €5.40

-14.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.61 €4.99

254.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.90 €0.80

222.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$0.89 €0.79

307.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.40 €3.92

-51.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.36 €1.21

15.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$23.59 €20.98

-63.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.74 €1.54

-12.64%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.5K €31.6K

-39.13%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$28.6K €25.4K

20.83%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$158 €140

-39.01%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.12 €14.34

122.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$22.34 €19.88

139.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.84 €9.64

-27.21%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$579 €515

-14.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,540 €8,486

24.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$90.7 €80.7

-40.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$42.19 €37.53

31.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$96.9 €86.2

-19.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$117 €104

-31.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,012 €900

-22.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$821 €730

-3.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,743 €1,550

126.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,323 €1,177

7.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$5,089 €4,527

35.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,476 €2,202

-50.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,763 €1,568

-51.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.3

161.21%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Benidorm: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Benidorm

$821 48.6% 3.4% $27

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Benidorm

$241 14.3% 31.6% $111

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Benidorm

$242 14.4% 14.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Benidorm

$196 11.6% 5.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Benidorm

$156 9.2% 29.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Benidorm

$22 * 1.3% 75.2% $66

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Benidorm

$11 * 0.7% 87.1% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,012 in Benidorm. 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 104% higher in Benidorm, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $53.0 in Benidorm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $241 – making Benidorm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇸 Benidorm

🕒 Local time

23:00 11:00 PM

07:00 7:00 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

72,342

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Benidorm 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Benidorm

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 Benidorm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,534 in Benidorm. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $1,689 in Benidorm. That's a gap of about 9%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $579 in Benidorm. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Benidorm, where all-in costs run around $1,689, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Benidorm it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Benidorm – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Benidorm. 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.