Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baltimore, MD and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,491 in Baltimore, MD, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Baltimore, MD
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Baltimore, MD Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Baltimore, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,491

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baltimore, MD and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Baltimore, MD and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,491 in Baltimore, MD versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Baltimore, MD $2,491
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,888 in Baltimore, MD versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Baltimore, MD $3,888
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,284 in Baltimore, MD versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Baltimore, MD $5,284
Nosara $3,712

Living in Baltimore, MD is roughly 36% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Baltimore, MD 86% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.22 $18.22

$12.22 ₡5,509

49.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.7 $94.7

$60.2 ₡27.1K

57.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 $10.48

$7.54 ₡3,399

38.99%

Cappuccino

$5.36 $5.36

$4.31 ₡1,941

24.36%

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

$3.46 $3.46

$1.72 ₡773

101.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.35 ₡608

93.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 $6.89

$3.24 ₡1,459

112.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 $7.83

$4.48 ₡2,018

74.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.57 ₡707

-27.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.14 $4.14

$3.17 ₡1,429

30.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.42 ₡1,091

68.60%

Eggs

$4.84 $4.84

$3.57 ₡1,609

35.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$7.43 ₡3,349

72.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$10.42 ₡4,697

24.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.78 $18.78

$13.66 ₡6,156

37.48%

Apples (1kg)

$6.14 $6.14

$2.32 ₡1,044

164.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.61 ₡728

-3.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$4.74 ₡2,138

16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$1.66 ₡747

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.72 ₡1,679

-25.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$3.57 ₡1,611

-18.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.10 ₡497

114.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$2.55 ₡1,149

-8.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 $14.05

$4.95 ₡2,232

183.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.43 $15.43

$20.01 ₡9,020

-22.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.79 ₡1,256

-5.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 $3.83

$3.53 ₡1,589

8.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.19 ₡537

70.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.8 $76.8

$72.1 ₡32.5K

6.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.24 ₡1,011

-17.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.55 ₡701

-12.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.59 $23.59

$8.86 ₡3,993

166.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.57 ₡708

-31.85%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

65.10%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-27.27%

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

$211 $211

$93.5 ₡42.1K

126.16%

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

$67.1 $67.1

$35.11 ₡15.8K

91.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.2 $88.2

$51.5 ₡23.2K

71.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 $51.7

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-27.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.99 $47.99

$35.44 ₡16.0K

35.41%

Cinema Ticket

$14.72 $14.72

$7.84 ₡3,535

87.76%

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

$1,935 $1,935

$490 ₡220.7K

295.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.9K $34.9K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

193.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-1.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 $63.1

$55.8 ₡25.1K

13.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 $92.8

$79.3 ₡35.7K

17.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$78.9 ₡35.6K

38.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,766 $1,766

$786 ₡354.3K

124.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,067 $1,067

$780 ₡351.6K

36.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,352 $2,352

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-39.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,124 $2,124

$1,407 ₡634.4K

50.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,545 $2,545

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-63.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,352 $2,352

$1,201 ₡541.3K

95.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,289 $4,289

$876 ₡395.0K

389.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

8.62

-22.04%

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

Last update for Baltimore, MD: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baltimore, MD

$1.1K 42.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 26.9% $287

Groceries & Markets

Baltimore, MD

$439 17.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 20.4% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baltimore, MD

$367 14.6%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 50.9% $187

Eating Out

Baltimore, MD

$316 12.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 33.7% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Baltimore, MD

$143 5.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 15.9% $23

Getting Around

Baltimore, MD

$94 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 7.1% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Baltimore, MD

$81 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 7.3% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,766 in Baltimore, MD and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baltimore, MD pays 389% 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: $95.0 in Baltimore, MD vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $439 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Baltimore, MD

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

01:15 1:15 AM

2 h behind Baltimore, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

585,708

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Baltimore, MD Nosara 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Baltimore, MD
Nosara

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

Baltimore, MD vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Baltimore, MD. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 389% higher in Baltimore, MD, 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: $1,766 in Baltimore, MD versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Baltimore, MD. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $95.0 in Baltimore, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,491 in Baltimore, MD, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Baltimore, MD. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,837 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Baltimore, MD and Nosara 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Baltimore, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.