Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Parkville, MD and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,651 in Parkville, MD, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Parkville, MD
🇺🇸 United States
$2,651
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,651 per month in Parkville, MD vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Parkville, MD $2,651
  • Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,899 per month in Parkville, MD vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Parkville, MD $3,899
  • Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,147 per month in Parkville, MD vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Parkville, MD $5,147
  • Nosara $3,712

Parkville, MD costs about 44% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Parkville, MD and Nosara sit above the global median – Parkville, MD by 98%, Nosara by 37%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Parkville, MD
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.27 $18.27
$12.22 ₡5,509
49.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$95.1 $95.1
$60.2 ₡27.1K
57.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.50 $10.50
$7.54 ₡3,399
39.26%
Cappuccino
$5.18 $5.18
$4.31 ₡1,941
20.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.05 $3.05
$1.72 ₡773
77.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 $2.73
$1.35 ₡608
102.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.08 $7.08
$3.24 ₡1,459
118.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.15 $8.15
$4.48 ₡2,018
81.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Parkville, MD
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 $1.16
$1.57 ₡707
-26.11%
White Bread (500g)
$4.16 $4.16
$3.17 ₡1,429
31.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.79 $3.79
$2.42 ₡1,091
56.61%
Eggs
$4.68 $4.68
$3.57 ₡1,609
31.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.17 $17.17
$7.43 ₡3,349
131.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.53 $15.53
$10.42 ₡4,697
49.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.80 $18.80
$13.66 ₡6,156
37.63%
Apples (1kg)
$5.90 $5.90
$2.32 ₡1,044
154.31%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 $1.56
$1.61 ₡728
-3.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.00 $4.00
$4.74 ₡2,138
-15.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.15 $4.15
$1.66 ₡747
150.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.20 $2.20
$3.72 ₡1,679
-40.86%
Onion (1kg)
$2.73 $2.73
$3.57 ₡1,611
-23.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.45 $2.45
$1.10 ₡497
122.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.32 $2.32
$2.55 ₡1,149
-9.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.29 $14.29
$4.95 ₡2,232
188.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.73 $15.73
$20.01 ₡9,020
-21.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 $1.76
$2.79 ₡1,256
-36.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.24 $3.24
$3.53 ₡1,589
-8.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Parkville, MD
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.25 $2.25
$1.19 ₡537
89.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.1 ₡32.5K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.75 $1.75
$2.24 ₡1,011
-21.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.36 $1.36
$1.55 ₡701
-12.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.79 $23.79
$8.86 ₡3,993
168.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 $1.08
$1.57 ₡708
-31.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.6K $22.6K
$21.8K ₡9.8M
3.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.6K $23.6K
$34.6K ₡15.6M
-31.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Parkville, MD
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$206 $206
$93.5 ₡42.1K
119.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.71 $38.71
$35.11 ₡15.8K
10.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$77.7 $77.7
$51.5 ₡23.2K
50.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Parkville, MD
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.09 $43.09
$71.4 ₡32.2K
-39.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$35.44 ₡16.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.07 $15.07
$7.84 ₡3,535
92.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Parkville, MD
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,945 $1,945
$490 ₡220.7K
297.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.5K $35.5K
$11.9K ₡5.4M
198.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Parkville, MD
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.9 $52.9
$53.5 ₡24.1K
-1.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.3 $57.3
$55.8 ₡25.1K
2.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.3 $91.3
$79.3 ₡35.7K
15.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 $110
$78.9 ₡35.6K
38.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Parkville, MD
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,585 $1,585
$786 ₡354.3K
101.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,377 $1,377
$780 ₡351.6K
76.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,439 $2,439
$3,860 ₡1.7M
-36.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,373 $2,373
$1,407 ₡634.4K
68.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,881 $2,881
$6,972 ₡3.1M
-58.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,693 $2,693
$1,201 ₡541.3K
124.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Parkville, MD
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$876 ₡395.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.72
8.62
-22.04%

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

Last update for Parkville, MD: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Parkville, MD
$1.4K
Nosara
$780 43.4% $597
Groceries & Markets
Parkville, MD
$445
Nosara
$350 21.4% $95
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Parkville, MD
$322
Nosara
$180 44.1% $142
Eating Out
Parkville, MD
$315
Nosara
$209 33.4% $105
Clothing & Footwear
Parkville, MD
$140
Nosara
$120 14% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Parkville, MD
$73
Nosara
$87 18.9% $14
Getting Around
Parkville, MD
$18 *
Nosara
$87 395% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,585 in Parkville, MD versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95.0 in Parkville, MD versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $445 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Parkville, MD
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
19:37 7:37 PM
17:37 5:37 PM
2 h behind Parkville, MD
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
30,734
4,912
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Parkville, MD Nosara 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Parkville, 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
Parkville, MD vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Parkville, MD and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,651 in Parkville, MD, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 44% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Parkville, MD compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,977 per month in Parkville, MD and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Parkville, MD and Nosara?
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.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $95.0 in Parkville, MD and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 27% more in Parkville, MD, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Parkville, MD at $2,651. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Parkville, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Parkville, MD and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $2,651 in Parkville, MD. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Parkville, MD or Nosara safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Parkville, MD and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Parkville, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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