Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Benoni

For one person, living is cheaper in Benoni: $1,072 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Benoni
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Benoni Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Benoni

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,072

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Benoni

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,072 in Benoni.

Nosara $1,839
Benoni $1,072

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,331 in Benoni.

Nosara $2,828
Benoni $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,589 in Benoni.

Nosara $3,818
Benoni $1,589

Living in Nosara is roughly 71% more expensive than in Benoni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Benoni is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$10.19 R 168

21.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$37.46 R 617

63.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.86 R 96.5

28.33%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.22 R 36.61

98.65%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.19 R 19.64

46.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.85 R 14.00

54.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.33 R 38.33

40.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.74 R 45.15

63.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.22 R 20.16

27.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.13 R 18.65

167.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.72 R 28.33

45.93%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.46 R 40.48

45.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.31 R 137

-10.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.86 R 80.1

116.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.12 R 117

96.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.73 R 28.55

35.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.63 R 26.81

-1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.80 R 29.58

166.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.56 R 25.70

3.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.12 R 18.39

239.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.22 R 20.10

202.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.23 R 20.29

-8.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.27 R 20.97

109.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.37 R 55.5

53.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.09 R 83.8

290.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.51 R 24.94

92.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.95 R 32.14

86.15%

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

$0.29 R 4.72

637.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.89 R 14.67

76.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$14.73 R 243

-42.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.54 R 25.41

-1.30%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.1K R 578.8K

-38.49%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.5K R 534.9K

6.31%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$203 R 3,342

-52.53%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$38.42 R 633

-6.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$36.63 R 604

46.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$18.06 R 297

296.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.10 R 117

11.13%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$246 R 4,051

100.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,577 R 91.9K

112.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$53.5 R 882

0.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$32.40 R 534

71.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$91.9 R 1,515

-15.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$84.8 R 1,397

-6.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$398 R 6,557

98.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$296 R 4,881

168.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$487 R 8,029

708.28%

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)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,041 R 33.6K

-57.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.91

-20.99%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Benoni: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Benoni

$296 27.6% 62.7% $498

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Benoni

$192 17.9% 45.5% $160

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Benoni

$151 14.1% 28.7% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Benoni

$278 25.9% 49.6% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Benoni

$118 11% 1.6% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Benoni

$32 3% 63.1% $55

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Benoni

$4.7 * 0.4% 94.6% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $398 in Benoni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Benoni pays 136% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $37.00 in Benoni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $192 per month, with Benoni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Benoni

🕒 Local time

01:40 1:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

158,777

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Benoni 12,880 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Benoni

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 Benoni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Benoni differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,072 including rent). Benoni is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 136% lower in Benoni. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $398 in Benoni. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,072 in Benoni – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,072 in Benoni versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Benoni but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Benoni the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Benoni 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 Benoni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.