Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockville, MD and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,127 in Rockville, MD, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Rockville, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,127

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,127 per month in Rockville, MD vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Rockville, MD $3,127
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $4,604 per month in Rockville, MD vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Rockville, MD $4,604
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $6,082 per month in Rockville, MD vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Rockville, MD $6,082
Nosara $3,712

Rockville, MD costs about 70% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rockville, MD and Nosara sit above the global median – Rockville, MD by 133%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.16 $22.16

$12.22 ₡5,509

81.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.7 $73.7

$60.2 ₡27.1K

22.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 $10.43

$7.54 ₡3,399

38.33%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$4.31 ₡1,941

24.13%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$1.72 ₡773

44.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.35 ₡608

31.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.71 $6.71

$3.24 ₡1,459

107.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.68 $7.68

$4.48 ₡2,018

71.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.57 ₡707

-28.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.17 ₡1,429

-6.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.42 ₡1,091

8.26%

Eggs

$3.95 $3.95

$3.57 ₡1,609

10.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 $9.67

$7.43 ₡3,349

30.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.23 $9.23

$10.42 ₡4,697

-11.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.18 $18.18

$13.66 ₡6,156

33.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.32 ₡1,044

97.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.61 ₡728

-21.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$4.74 ₡2,138

-3.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.66 ₡747

134.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.72 ₡1,679

-31.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$3.57 ₡1,611

-27.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.10 ₡497

141.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$2.55 ₡1,149

-31.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 $14.00

$4.95 ₡2,232

182.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.53 $14.53

$20.01 ₡9,020

-27.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.79 ₡1,256

-12.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.53 ₡1,589

3.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.19 ₡537

255.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

$72.1 ₡32.5K

93.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.24 ₡1,011

121.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.55 ₡701

-29.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.34 $23.34

$8.86 ₡3,993

163.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.57 ₡708

-35.03%

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

$34.9K $34.9K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

59.94%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-26.30%

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

$300 $300

$93.5 ₡42.1K

220.98%

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

$51.0 $51.0

$35.11 ₡15.8K

45.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 $58.9

$51.5 ₡23.2K

14.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.95 $41.95

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-41.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.64 $12.64

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-64.33%

Cinema Ticket

$16.35 $16.35

$7.84 ₡3,535

108.55%

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

$1,902 $1,902

$490 ₡220.7K

288.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.4K $27.4K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

130.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.57 $45.57

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-14.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 $40.27

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-27.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 $87.1

$79.3 ₡35.7K

9.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$78.9 ₡35.6K

63.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$786 ₡354.3K

168.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,634 $1,634

$780 ₡351.6K

109.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,765 $3,765

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-2.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,911 $2,911

$1,407 ₡634.4K

106.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,396 $4,396

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-36.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 $2,437

$1,201 ₡541.3K

102.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,212 $6,212

$876 ₡395.0K

608.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

8.62

-25.06%

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

Last update for Rockville, 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

Rockville, MD

$1.6K 52.4%

Nosara

$780 43% 52.3% $854

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockville, MD

$410 13.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 56.1% $230

Groceries & Markets

Rockville, MD

$358 11.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 2.4% $8.5

Eating Out

Rockville, MD

$339 10.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 38.2% $129

Getting Around

Rockville, MD

$167 5.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 47.8% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Rockville, MD

$136 4.4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 11.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Rockville, MD

$75 2.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 16.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,107 in Rockville, 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.

Salaries run about 609% higher in Rockville, MD, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Rockville, MD versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rockville, MD

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

21:10 9:10 PM

2 h behind Rockville, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,139

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rockville, MD Nosara 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Rockville, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,127 in Rockville, MD, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 70% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,690 per month in Rockville, MD and $2,756 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 93% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,902 per month in Rockville, MD and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Rockville, MD at $3,127. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rockville, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $3,127 in Rockville, MD. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

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