Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and La Plata, MD

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.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
117

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

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

La Plata, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in La Plata, MD

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in La Plata, MD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nosara is about 24% cheaper than La Plata, MD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$13.52 $13.52

-8.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$90.4 $90.4

-32.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$7.62 $7.62

3.41%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$6.29 $6.29

-30.05%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$2.82 $2.82

-39.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$2.56 $2.56

-47.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$3.46 $3.46

-3.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$4.96 $4.96

-8.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.68 $1.68

-2.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$4.42 $4.42

-28.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$6.23 $6.23

-61.64%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$1.81 $1.81

91.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$12.70 $12.70

-43.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$8.81 $8.81

17.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$13.15 $13.15

6.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$4.89 $4.89

-53.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.65 $1.65

-1.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$6.32 $6.32

-23.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$4.44 $4.44

-62.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$3.04 $3.04

28.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$2.08 $2.08

74.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$2.10 $2.10

-46.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$2.72 $2.72

-3.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$11.85 $11.85

-57.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$14.37 $14.37

37.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$1.68 $1.68

73.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$5.10 $5.10

-30.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$1.94 $1.94

-37.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

$58.1 $58.1

26.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$2.73 $2.73

-21.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.67 $1.67

-2.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$29.72 $29.72

-70.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.02 $1.02

51.96%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$32.6K $32.6K

3.98%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$30.5K $30.5K

25.98%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$97.8 $97.8

-2.69%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$42.02 $42.02

-13.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$73.5 $73.5

-29.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$40.39 $40.39

67.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$15.14 $15.14

-50.20%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$1,210 $1,210

-58.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$23.0K $23.0K

-48.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$47.79 $47.79

15.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$36.43 $36.43

53.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$112 $112

-30.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$121 $121

-34.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$1,575 $1,575

-48.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$1,284 $1,284

-37.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$2,492 $2,492

60.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$2,098 $2,098

-31.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$3,038 $3,038

132.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

$2,428 $2,428

-50.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

$6,502 $6,502

-86.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.25

37.92%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

La Plata, MD

$1.3K 52.6% 59.3% $478

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

La Plata, MD

$398 16.3% 13.4% $47

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

La Plata, MD

$255 10.5% 19.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

La Plata, MD

$213 8.7% 16.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

La Plata, MD

$143 5.8% 18.2% $22

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

La Plata, MD

$77 3.2% 13.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

La Plata, MD

$71 2.9% 14.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $1,575 in La Plata, MD. 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 $61 in Nosara versus $90 in La Plata, MD. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $398 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 La Plata, MD

🕒 Local time

14:18 2:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

10,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Nosara
La Plata, MD

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

Nosara vs La Plata, MD: 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 $2,769 per month in Nosara and $3,661 in La Plata, MD. 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 $1,846 in Nosara and $2,441 in La Plata, MD. That makes Nosara about 24% cheaper.

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 $1,846 in Nosara and $2,441 in La Plata, MD, 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, La Plata, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.