Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Plata, MD and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,846 a month against $2,441 in La Plata, MD, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in La Plata, MD
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La Plata, MD Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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La Plata, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,441

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,441 per month in La Plata, MD vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

La Plata, MD $2,441
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $3,635 per month in La Plata, MD vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

La Plata, MD $3,635
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $4,829 per month in La Plata, MD vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

La Plata, MD $4,829
Nosara $3,820

La Plata, MD costs about 32% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both La Plata, MD and Nosara sit above the global median – La Plata, MD by 79%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.52 $13.52

$12.36 ₡5,575

9.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 $90.4

$60.8 ₡27.4K

48.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.62 $7.62

$7.88 ₡3,557

-3.30%

Cappuccino

$6.29 $6.29

$4.40 ₡1,986

42.95%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$1.72 ₡776

63.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.34 ₡603

91.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.34 ₡1,505

3.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 $4.96

$4.54 ₡2,048

9.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.64 ₡739

2.44%

White Bread (500g)

$4.42 $4.42

$3.16 ₡1,426

39.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$2.39 ₡1,080

160.67%

Eggs

$1.81 $1.81

$3.47 ₡1,564

-47.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.70 $12.70

$7.13 ₡3,217

78.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 $8.81

$10.32 ₡4,655

-14.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.15 $13.15

$13.97 ₡6,302

-5.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.29 ₡1,031

113.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.62 ₡731

1.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.32 $6.32

$4.81 ₡2,169

31.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.68 ₡758

164.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.91 ₡1,765

-22.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$3.63 ₡1,640

-42.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.13 ₡509

85.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.63 ₡1,188

3.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.85 $11.85

$5.02 ₡2,267

136.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.37 $14.37

$19.71 ₡8,893

-27.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.91 ₡1,314

-42.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.54 ₡1,597

44.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.21 ₡545

60.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.1 $58.1

$73.8 ₡33.3K

-21.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.15 ₡969

26.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.63 ₡738

2.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$8.77 ₡3,958

238.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.55 ₡700

-34.19%

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

$32.6K $32.6K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-3.82%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-20.62%

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

$97.8 $97.8

$95.2 ₡43.0K

2.76%

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

$42.02 $42.02

$36.29 ₡16.4K

15.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.5 $73.5

$52.0 ₡23.5K

41.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.39 $40.39

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-40.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.14 $15.14

$7.54 ₡3,404

100.80%

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

$1,210 $1,210

$496 ₡224.0K

143.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

95.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.79 $47.79

$55.1 ₡24.9K

-13.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 $36.43

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-35.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$77.8 ₡35.1K

44.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$79.1 ₡35.7K

52.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 $1,575

$817 ₡368.9K

92.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 $1,284

$806 ₡363.6K

59.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,492 $2,492

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-37.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,098 $2,098

$1,429 ₡644.9K

46.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,038 $3,038

$7,068 ₡3.2M

-57.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,428 $2,428

$1,197 ₡540.1K

102.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,502 $6,502

$888 ₡400.7K

632.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

8.62

-27.49%

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

Last update for La Plata, MD: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Plata, MD

$1.3K 52.6%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 37.2% $478

Groceries & Markets

La Plata, MD

$398 16.3%

Nosara

$351 19% 11.8% $47

Eating Out

La Plata, MD

$255 10.5%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 16.4% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Plata, MD

$213 8.7%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 14% $30

Clothing & Footwear

La Plata, MD

$143 5.8%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 15.4% $22

Getting Around

La Plata, MD

$77 3.2%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 15.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

La Plata, MD

$71 2.9%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 17% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,575 in La Plata, MD versus $817 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 in La Plata, MD are about 7.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in La Plata, MD versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $398 vs $351 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 La Plata, MD

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

13:19 1:19 PM

2 h behind La Plata, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,000

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Plata, MD Nosara 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

La Plata, 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

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

Yes – La Plata, MD is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,661 per month in La Plata, MD and $2,769 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,575 in La Plata, MD.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,441 in La Plata, MD and $1,846 in Nosara. That’s a gap of about 32%.

Public transport costs about 21% less in La Plata, MD. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,441 in La Plata, MD and $1,846 in Nosara, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, La Plata, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.