Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Benin

For one person, living is cheaper in Benin: $447 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Benin
Learn more

Benin Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Benin

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Benin

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $447 in Benin, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Benin $447

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $756 in Benin, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Benin $756

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,065 in Benin, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Benin $1,065

Nosara costs about 311% more than Benin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Benin is 67% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$1.28 ₦1,702

864.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$50.3 ₦66.9K

21.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.51 ₦7,326

36.48%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.77 ₦3,684

59.21%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.27 ₦355

544.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.16 ₦218

718.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.85 ₦1,136

285.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$0.99 ₦1,320

351.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$3.16 ₦4,204

-50.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.77 ₦1,026

292.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.21 ₦1,610

107.44%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.24 ₦2,984

59.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$3.63 ₦4,832

104.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.84 ₦5,114

173.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$4.43 ₦5,893

215.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.70 ₦2,263

38.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.30 ₦1,728

23.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.11 ₦1,475

332.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.33 ₦1,772

21.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.34 ₦1,779

183.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.32 ₦1,756

179.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.83 ₦1,105

36.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.39 ₦523

582.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$0.59 ₦779

777.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$2.41 ₦3,205

724.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.54 ₦724

437.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$0.46 ₦607

689.13%

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

$0.69 ₦921

210.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.90 ₦1,202

74.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.21 ₦2,943

285.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.73 ₦967

108.22%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$11.1K ₦14.7M

95.03%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$13.9K ₦18.4M

149.02%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$114 ₦151.4K

-15.40%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.69 ₦19.5K

144.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$33.21 ₦44.2K

61.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.21 ₦8,258

27.05%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$655 ₦871.3K

-24.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$19.7K ₦26.2M

-39.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$14.98 ₦19.9K

260.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$18.39 ₦24.5K

201.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$35.97 ₦47.8K

116.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$48.15 ₦64.0K

65.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

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

$112 ₦148.6K

673.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

18.39

-53.13%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Benin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Benin

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Benin

$147 32.9% 58.2% $205

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Benin

$68 15.2% 67.9% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Benin

$162 36.1% 12.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Benin

$53 11.8% 56% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Benin

$12 * 2.8% 85.8% $75

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Benin

$5.2 * 1.2% 94% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 673% 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 $50.0 in Benin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $147 – making Benin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇳🇬 Benin

🕒 Local time

14:26 2:26 PM

21:26 9:26 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,147,188

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, 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).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Benin 10,020 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Benin

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 Benin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 311% more than Benin, 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 $671 in Benin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $447 in Benin. That's a gap of about 311%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $655 in Benin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Benin, where all-in costs run around $447, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Benin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Benin costs $447 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 Benin. 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.