Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gaithersburg, MD and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,885 in Gaithersburg, MD, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Gaithersburg, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,885

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,885 in Gaithersburg, MD versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Gaithersburg, MD $2,885
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,150 in Gaithersburg, MD versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Gaithersburg, MD $4,150
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,415 in Gaithersburg, MD versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Gaithersburg, MD $5,415
Nosara $3,818

Living in Gaithersburg, MD is roughly 57% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gaithersburg, MD 114% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.11 $20.11

$12.35 ₡5,539

62.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 $90.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

48.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.90 $6.90

$7.52 ₡3,373

-8.24%

Cappuccino

$5.74 $5.74

$4.41 ₡1,978

30.16%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$1.74 ₡780

59.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.31 ₡587

82.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$3.28 ₡1,471

137.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.72 $8.72

$4.47 ₡2,004

95.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.56 ₡701

-23.72%

White Bread (500g)

$4.44 $4.44

$3.02 ₡1,355

47.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$2.51 ₡1,125

112.35%

Eggs

$5.19 $5.19

$3.57 ₡1,603

45.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.77 $17.77

$7.43 ₡3,333

139.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.82 $15.82

$10.52 ₡4,717

50.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$13.97 ₡6,265

37.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.35 ₡1,052

102.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.61 ₡720

6.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$4.80 ₡2,152

-4.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$1.61 ₡724

239.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.80 ₡1,703

-19.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$3.69 ₡1,657

-44.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.13 ₡507

91.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.66 ₡1,191

-6.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 $14.23

$5.18 ₡2,321

174.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 $14.86

$19.88 ₡8,916

-25.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.63 ₡1,626

-19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.14 ₡958

88.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.57 ₡703

-19.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.37 $25.37

$8.52 ₡3,823

197.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.52 ₡682

-31.58%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

24.47%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.99%

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

$165 $165

$96.3 ₡43.2K

71.37%

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

$52.5 $52.5

$35.89 ₡16.1K

46.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.5 $62.5

$53.6 ₡24.0K

16.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.65 $31.65

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-55.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$17.08 $17.08

$7.89 ₡3,539

116.48%

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

$1,569 $1,569

$494 ₡221.6K

217.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.0K $36.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

203.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 $56.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

4.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.25 $36.25

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-34.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$77.9 ₡34.9K

29.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$79.6 ₡35.7K

48.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 $1,814

$788 ₡353.4K

130.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,597 $1,597

$794 ₡356.2K

101.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,401 $2,401

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-39.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,434 $2,434

$1,419 ₡636.5K

71.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,474 $2,474

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-64.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,606 $2,606

$1,224 ₡549.0K

112.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,141 $5,141

$864 ₡387.3K

495.35%

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 Gaithersburg, MD: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gaithersburg, MD

$1.6K 55.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 50.3% $802

Groceries & Markets

Gaithersburg, MD

$464 16.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 24.1% $112

Eating Out

Gaithersburg, MD

$328 11.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 35.3% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gaithersburg, MD

$280 9.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 33.7% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Gaithersburg, MD

$140 4.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Gaithersburg, MD

$66 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 32.8% $22

Getting Around

Gaithersburg, MD

$10 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 743% $77

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 $1,814 in Gaithersburg, MD and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gaithersburg, MD pays 495% 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: $91.0 in Gaithersburg, MD vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $464 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Gaithersburg, MD

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

2 h behind Gaithersburg, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

69,657

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gaithersburg, MD Nosara 3,350 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Gaithersburg, 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

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

Gaithersburg, MD and Nosara differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($2,885 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 495% higher in Gaithersburg, 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: $1,814 in Gaithersburg, MD versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,569 in Gaithersburg, MD versus $494 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 $91.0 in Gaithersburg, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,885 in Gaithersburg, MD, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Gaithersburg, MD. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Gaithersburg, 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 57% less than in Gaithersburg, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.