Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Benxi

For one person, living is cheaper in Benxi: $710 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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 Benxi
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Benxi Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Benxi

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Benxi

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $710 in Benxi, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Benxi $710

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,027 in Benxi, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Benxi $1,027

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,344 in Benxi, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Benxi $1,344

Nosara costs about 159% more than Benxi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Benxi is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.06 ¥20.47

303.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$22.56 ¥151

171.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.36 ¥35.83

40.30%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.42 ¥16.19

82.23%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.47 ¥3.14

270.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.29 ¥1.94

351.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.77 ¥5.16

325.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.75 ¥11.70

155.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.88 ¥12.58

-17.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.18 ¥7.91

155.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.86 ¥5.73

191.86%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.61 ¥10.73

121.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.96 ¥66.6

-25.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.98 ¥19.92

253.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.87 ¥59.3

57.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.61 ¥10.74

45.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.40 ¥9.33

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.68 ¥11.23

185.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.37 ¥9.14

17.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.62 ¥4.15

512.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.84 ¥12.32

100.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.62 ¥4.11

82.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.70 ¥4.69

280.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.95 ¥19.73

75.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.36 ¥55.9

137.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.63 ¥4.21

360.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.29 ¥8.61

181.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.31 ¥2.08

261.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$12.18 ¥81.4

496.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.93 ¥6.21

130.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.31 ¥2.09

406.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$3.03 ¥20.29

181.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.13 ¥7.55

34.51%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$19.1K ¥127.8K

13.06%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$17.6K ¥117.8K

95.85%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$54.5 ¥364

76.84%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$6.90 ¥46.10

420.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$10.40 ¥69.6

415.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$67.7 ¥452

5.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$8.23 ¥55.1

324.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.81 ¥38.82

35.80%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$440 ¥2,941

12.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,949 ¥59.8K

32.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$30.00 ¥201

79.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$83.4 ¥558

-33.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$59.8 ¥399

30.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$52.0 ¥348

53.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$134 ¥899

486.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$181 ¥1,212

338.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$257 ¥1,718

1433.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$149 ¥995

853.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,794 ¥25.4K

82.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,967 ¥13.2K

-37.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$457 ¥3,055

88.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

115.50%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Benxi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Benxi

$181 25.5% 77.2% $613

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Benxi

$181 25.4% 48.7% $172

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Benxi

$80 11.3% 62.2% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Benxi

$72 10.1% 61.4% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Benxi

$101 14.3% 15.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Benxi

$79 11.2% 9.3% $8.1

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Benxi

$16 2.2% 81.7% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $134 in Benxi. 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 89% 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 $23.00 in Benxi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $181 – making Benxi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇳 Benxi

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

17:33 5:33 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

809,655

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Benxi 13,570 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Benxi

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 Benxi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 159% more than Benxi, 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 $1,065 in Benxi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $440 in Benxi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 95% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Benxi, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Benxi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Benxi costs $710 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 Benxi. 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.