Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between College Park, MD and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,365 in College Park, MD, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

163

Cost of Living Index in College Park, MD
Learn more

College Park, MD Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

College Park, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,365

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in College Park, 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 College Park, MD and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,365 per month in College Park, MD vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

College Park, MD $3,365
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $4,621 per month in College Park, MD vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

College Park, MD $4,621
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,876 per month in College Park, MD vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

College Park, MD $5,876
Nosara $3,712

College Park, MD costs about 83% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both College Park, MD and Nosara sit above the global median – College Park, MD by 151%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.68 $15.68

$12.22 ₡5,509

28.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.2 $70.2

$60.2 ₡27.1K

16.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 $9.82

$7.54 ₡3,399

30.24%

Cappuccino

$4.62 $4.62

$4.31 ₡1,941

7.19%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.72 ₡773

52.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.35 ₡608

28.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.55 $6.55

$3.24 ₡1,459

102.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$4.48 ₡2,018

35.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.57 ₡707

-42.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 $2.49

$3.17 ₡1,429

-21.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$2.42 ₡1,091

122.31%

Eggs

$2.00 $2.00

$3.57 ₡1,609

-43.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$7.43 ₡3,349

-17.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$10.42 ₡4,697

-35.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.25 $20.25

$13.66 ₡6,156

48.24%

Apples (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$2.32 ₡1,044

178.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.61 ₡728

-18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.39 $7.39

$4.74 ₡2,138

55.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$1.66 ₡747

235.54%

Potato (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$3.72 ₡1,679

35.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.57 ₡1,611

-6.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.10 ₡497

-6.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.55 ₡1,149

27.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.19 $9.19

$4.95 ₡2,232

85.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.80 $11.80

$20.01 ₡9,020

-41.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.79 ₡1,256

-38.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.53 ₡1,589

4.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.19 ₡537

158.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.24 ₡1,011

80.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.55 ₡701

33.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.45 $25.45

$8.86 ₡3,993

187.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.57 ₡708

-40.76%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

66.48%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-26.61%

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

$245 $245

$93.5 ₡42.1K

161.81%

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

$50.0 $50.0

$35.11 ₡15.8K

42.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 $67.5

$51.5 ₡23.2K

31.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.58 $40.58

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-43.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$7.84 ₡3,535

92.09%

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

$2,026 $2,026

$490 ₡220.7K

313.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.52 $47.52

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-11.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 $32.02

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-42.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$79.3 ₡35.7K

46.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$78.9 ₡35.6K

69.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,282 $2,282

$786 ₡354.3K

190.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 $2,080

$780 ₡351.6K

166.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,844 $3,844

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-0.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,140 $3,140

$1,407 ₡634.4K

123.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,363 $6,363

$876 ₡395.0K

626.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.23

8.62

-27.73%

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

Last update for College Park, 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

College Park, MD

$2.1K 62.3%

Nosara

$780 43% 62.5% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

College Park, MD

$379 11.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 7.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

College Park, MD

$362 10.9%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 50.3% $182

Eating Out

College Park, MD

$273 8.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 23.2% $63

Clothing & Footwear

College Park, MD

$148 4.4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 18.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

College Park, MD

$71 2.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 23.2% $16

Getting Around

College Park, MD

$27 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 225% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,282 in College Park, MD versus $786 in Nosara. 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 626% higher in College Park, MD, 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 $70.0 in College Park, MD versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 College Park, MD

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

13:00 1:00 PM

2 h behind College Park, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,740

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 = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

College Park, MD Nosara 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

College Park, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,365 in College Park, MD, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 83% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,047 per month in College Park, MD and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, 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 $3,365 in College Park, MD and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 83%.

Kindergarten costs $2,026 per month in College Park, MD and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in College Park, MD at $3,365. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in College Park, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $3,365 in College Park, MD. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, College Park, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.