Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fallston, MD and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,548 in Fallston, MD, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Fallston, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,548

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,548 in Fallston, MD versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Fallston, MD $2,548
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,816 in Fallston, MD versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Fallston, MD $3,816
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,084 in Fallston, MD versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Fallston, MD $5,084
Nosara $3,814

Living in Fallston, MD is roughly 39% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fallston, MD 88% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.11 $21.11

$12.34 ₡5,535

71.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$61.3 ₡27.5K

29.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 $12.47

$7.76 ₡3,481

60.70%

Cappuccino

$5.87 $5.87

$4.44 ₡1,992

32.21%

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

$2.37 $2.37

$1.79 ₡803

32.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.29 ₡580

55.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.34 $6.34

$3.24 ₡1,451

95.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.41 $6.41

$4.43 ₡1,985

44.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.55 ₡696

-35.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$3.08 ₡1,380

12.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.53 ₡1,133

75.10%

Eggs

$4.24 $4.24

$3.45 ₡1,546

22.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.80 $13.80

$7.32 ₡3,284

88.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.42 $11.42

$10.24 ₡4,594

11.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.94 $16.94

$14.10 ₡6,326

20.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.29 ₡1,027

113.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.64 ₡737

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$4.79 ₡2,149

-11.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.64 ₡735

195.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.85 ₡1,727

-27.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.75 ₡1,681

-22.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.09 ₡488

99.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.59 ₡1,160

-15.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.88 $10.88

$5.12 ₡2,295

112.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.82 $14.82

$19.92 ₡8,931

-25.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.80 ₡1,255

-23.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.52 ₡1,580

-0.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.22 ₡549

63.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.17 ₡973

61.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.56 ₡698

17.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.11 $32.11

$8.67 ₡3,886

270.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.55 ₡697

-27.10%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-29.28%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-22.77%

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

$222 $222

$94.8 ₡42.5K

134.35%

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

$62.0 $62.0

$36.15 ₡16.2K

71.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$53.1 ₡23.8K

20.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.27 $37.27

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-49.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.22 $12.22

$7.91 ₡3,548

54.49%

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

$1,593 $1,593

$490 ₡219.9K

225.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.7K $25.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

116.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-7.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.42 $37.42

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-33.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.6 $96.6

$80.4 ₡36.0K

20.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$77.9 ₡34.9K

63.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,483 $1,483

$801 ₡359.1K

85.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 $1,238

$790 ₡354.1K

56.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,511 $2,511

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-37.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,194 $2,194

$1,409 ₡632.0K

55.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,405 $2,405

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-65.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,141 $2,141

$1,236 ₡554.3K

73.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Fallston, MD: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fallston, MD

$1.2K 48.6%

Nosara

$790 43% 36.2% $448

Groceries & Markets

Fallston, MD

$401 15.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 12.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fallston, MD

$348 13.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 47.1% $164

Eating Out

Fallston, MD

$339 13.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 37.2% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Fallston, MD

$140 5.5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 13.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Fallston, MD

$62 2.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 45.2% $28

Getting Around

Fallston, MD

$21 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 329% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,483 in Fallston, MD and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $79.0 in Fallston, MD vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fallston, MD

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:50 3:50 PM

13:50 1:50 PM

2 h behind Fallston, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,000

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

Fallston, MD Nosara 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Fallston, 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

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

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,822 in Fallston, MD and $2,753 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,483 in Fallston, MD versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,593 in Fallston, MD versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $79.0 in Fallston, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,548 in Fallston, MD, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Fallston, MD. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Fallston, MD, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Fallston, 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 39% less than in Fallston, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.