Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellicott City, MD and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,456 in Ellicott City, MD, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Ellicott City, MD
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Ellicott City, MD Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ellicott City, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,456

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,456 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $3,456
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $4,609 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $4,609
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,762 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $5,762
Nosara $3,814

Ellicott City, MD costs about 88% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ellicott City, MD and Nosara sit above the global median – Ellicott City, MD by 155%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.95 $17.95

$12.34 ₡5,535

45.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.3 $96.3

$61.3 ₡27.5K

57.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.76 $10.76

$7.76 ₡3,481

38.66%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$4.44 ₡1,992

16.89%

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

$3.48 $3.48

$1.79 ₡803

94.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.29 ₡580

104.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.16 $7.16

$3.24 ₡1,451

120.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$4.43 ₡1,985

85.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.55 ₡696

-25.16%

White Bread (500g)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.08 ₡1,380

33.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.53 ₡1,133

54.55%

Eggs

$4.71 $4.71

$3.45 ₡1,546

36.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.82 $16.82

$7.32 ₡3,284

129.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$10.24 ₡4,594

27.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.63 $18.63

$14.10 ₡6,326

32.13%

Apples (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$2.29 ₡1,027

157.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.64 ₡737

-3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$4.79 ₡2,149

-12.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.64 ₡735

163.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$3.85 ₡1,727

-43.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$3.75 ₡1,681

-30.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.09 ₡488

117.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.59 ₡1,160

-12.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.63 $13.63

$5.12 ₡2,295

166.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.75 $15.75

$19.92 ₡8,931

-20.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.80 ₡1,255

-4.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$3.52 ₡1,580

-11.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.17 ₡973

-18.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.56 ₡698

-14.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.53 $23.53

$8.67 ₡3,886

171.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.55 ₡697

-39.35%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-34.03%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-37.37%

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

$205 $205

$94.8 ₡42.5K

116.44%

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

$51.0 $51.0

$36.15 ₡16.2K

40.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.6 $79.6

$53.1 ₡23.8K

50.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$114 $114

$73.8 ₡33.1K

54.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 $14.86

$7.91 ₡3,548

87.86%

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

$1,971 $1,971

$490 ₡219.9K

302.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.0K $35.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

194.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-6.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 $56.0

$55.9 ₡25.1K

0.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 $90.6

$80.4 ₡36.0K

12.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$77.9 ₡34.9K

45.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,470 $2,470

$801 ₡359.1K

208.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,078 $2,078

$790 ₡354.1K

163.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,963 $2,963

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-26.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 $2,651

$1,409 ₡632.0K

88.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,585 $2,585

$1,236 ₡554.3K

109.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,995 $4,995

$887 ₡397.6K

463.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.62

-21.23%

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

Last update for Ellicott City, MD: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ellicott City, MD

$2.1K 60.1%

Nosara

$790 43% 62% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Ellicott City, MD

$436 12.6%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 19.8% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ellicott City, MD

$336 9.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 45.2% $152

Eating Out

Ellicott City, MD

$315 9.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 32.5% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Ellicott City, MD

$144 4.2%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 37.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Ellicott City, MD

$140 4.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 13.6% $19

Getting Around

Ellicott City, MD

$8.5 * 0.3%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 948% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,470 in Ellicott City, MD versus $801 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 463% higher in Ellicott City, 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 $96.0 in Ellicott City, MD versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $436 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ellicott City, MD

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

16:15 4:15 PM

2 h behind Ellicott City, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,834

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ellicott City, MD Nosara 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ellicott City, 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

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

Yes – Ellicott City, MD is pricier by about 88%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,184 per month in Ellicott City, MD and $2,753 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 $3,456 in Ellicott City, MD and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 88%.

Kindergarten costs $1,971 per month in Ellicott City, 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 $1,835, than in Ellicott City, MD at $3,456. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ellicott City, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Ellicott City, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.