Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Severn, MD and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,524 in Severn, MD, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Severn, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,524

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,524 per month in Severn, MD vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Severn, MD $2,524
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,800 per month in Severn, MD vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Severn, MD $3,800
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,076 per month in Severn, MD vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Severn, MD $5,076
Nosara $3,814

Severn, MD costs about 38% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Severn, MD and Nosara sit above the global median – Severn, MD by 86%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.95 $17.95

$12.34 ₡5,535

45.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.7 $96.7

$61.3 ₡27.5K

57.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 $10.53

$7.76 ₡3,481

35.70%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$4.44 ₡1,992

18.02%

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

$3.01 $3.01

$1.79 ₡803

68.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.29 ₡580

93.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$3.24 ₡1,451

111.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.43 ₡1,985

84.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.55 ₡696

-29.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.96 $3.96

$3.08 ₡1,380

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.53 ₡1,133

66.01%

Eggs

$4.97 $4.97

$3.45 ₡1,546

44.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.66 $12.66

$7.32 ₡3,284

72.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.80 $12.80

$10.24 ₡4,594

25.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.19 $18.19

$14.10 ₡6,326

29.01%

Apples (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$2.29 ₡1,027

149.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.64 ₡737

-6.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$4.79 ₡2,149

-1.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$1.64 ₡735

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.85 ₡1,727

-26.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.75 ₡1,681

-24.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.09 ₡488

116.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.59 ₡1,160

-11.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.36 $9.36

$5.12 ₡2,295

82.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.79 $15.79

$19.92 ₡8,931

-20.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.80 ₡1,255

-8.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.52 ₡1,580

-16.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.22 ₡549

63.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.17 ₡973

-18.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.56 ₡698

-18.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.11 $24.11

$8.67 ₡3,886

178.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.55 ₡697

-34.19%

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

$28.9K $28.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-16.46%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.84%

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

$160 $160

$94.8 ₡42.5K

68.94%

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

$52.4 $52.4

$36.15 ₡16.2K

44.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.9 $62.9

$53.1 ₡23.8K

18.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.73 $41.73

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.63 $14.63

$7.91 ₡3,548

84.96%

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

$1,607 $1,607

$490 ₡219.9K

227.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K $35.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

198.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-3.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.5 $61.5

$55.9 ₡25.1K

10.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 $93.4

$80.4 ₡36.0K

16.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$77.9 ₡34.9K

42.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 $1,568

$801 ₡359.1K

95.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 $1,281

$790 ₡354.1K

62.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,558 $2,558

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-36.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,168 $2,168

$1,409 ₡632.0K

53.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,999 $2,999

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-57.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,093 $2,093

$1,236 ₡554.3K

69.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

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 Severn, MD: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Severn, MD

$1.3K 50.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 38.4% $491

Groceries & Markets

Severn, MD

$426 16.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 18% $77

Eating Out

Severn, MD

$311 12.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 31.6% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Severn, MD

$275 10.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 33.2% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Severn, MD

$143 5.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 15.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Severn, MD

$71 2.8%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 26.2% $19

Getting Around

Severn, MD

$16 * 0.6%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 452% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,568 in Severn, MD versus $801 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 $97.0 in Severn, MD versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $426 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Severn, MD

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

2 h behind Severn, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,231

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Severn, MD Nosara 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Severn, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,524 in Severn, MD, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,786 per month in Severn, MD and $2,753 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97.0 in Severn, MD and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Severn, MD, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Severn, MD at $2,524. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Severn, 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 $1,835 in Nosara to $2,524 in Severn, 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, Severn, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.