Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Upper Marlboro, MD and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,846 a month against $2,636 in Upper Marlboro, MD, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Upper Marlboro, MD
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Upper Marlboro, MD Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Upper Marlboro, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,636

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,636 per month in Upper Marlboro, MD vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Upper Marlboro, MD $2,636
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $4,086 per month in Upper Marlboro, MD vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Upper Marlboro, MD $4,086
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $5,535 per month in Upper Marlboro, MD vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Upper Marlboro, MD $5,535
Nosara $3,820

Upper Marlboro, MD costs about 43% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Upper Marlboro, MD and Nosara sit above the global median – Upper Marlboro, MD by 94%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.87 $22.87

$12.36 ₡5,575

85.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.6 $91.6

$60.8 ₡27.4K

50.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 $10.18

$7.88 ₡3,557

29.19%

Cappuccino

$6.25 $6.25

$4.40 ₡1,986

42.05%

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

$2.79 $2.79

$1.72 ₡776

62.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.34 ₡603

96.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.95 $9.95

$3.34 ₡1,505

197.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 $9.86

$4.54 ₡2,048

117.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.64 ₡739

-21.34%

White Bread (500g)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.16 ₡1,426

42.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.15 $7.15

$2.39 ₡1,080

199.16%

Eggs

$5.78 $5.78

$3.47 ₡1,564

66.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.40 $16.40

$7.13 ₡3,217

130.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.24 $16.24

$10.32 ₡4,655

57.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.67 $18.67

$13.97 ₡6,302

33.64%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.29 ₡1,031

121.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.62 ₡731

1.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$4.81 ₡2,169

6.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$1.68 ₡758

210.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.91 ₡1,765

-24.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$3.63 ₡1,640

-44.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.13 ₡509

83.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.63 ₡1,188

6.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.34 $13.34

$5.02 ₡2,267

165.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.75 $14.75

$19.71 ₡8,893

-25.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.91 ₡1,314

-41.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.54 ₡1,597

43.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.21 ₡545

62.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.5 $64.5

$73.8 ₡33.3K

-12.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.15 ₡969

88.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.63 ₡738

-0.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.88 $24.88

$8.77 ₡3,958

183.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.55 ₡700

-26.45%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-18.00%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-31.81%

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

$158 $158

$95.2 ₡43.0K

66.34%

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

$82.7 $82.7

$36.29 ₡16.4K

127.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.7 $76.7

$52.0 ₡23.5K

47.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.18 $41.18

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-39.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$17.03 $17.03

$7.54 ₡3,404

125.86%

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

$2,241 $2,241

$496 ₡224.0K

351.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.3K $41.3K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

250.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.02 $47.02

$55.1 ₡24.9K

-14.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.91 $35.91

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-35.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$77.8 ₡35.1K

35.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$79.1 ₡35.7K

50.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,413 $1,413

$817 ₡368.9K

72.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 $1,160

$806 ₡363.6K

43.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,465 $2,465

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-38.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 $2,180

$1,429 ₡644.9K

52.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,741 $2,741

$7,068 ₡3.2M

-61.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,336 $2,336

$1,197 ₡540.1K

95.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,979 $7,979

$888 ₡400.7K

798.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

8.62

-23.09%

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

Last update for Upper Marlboro, MD: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Upper Marlboro, MD

$1.2K 44%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 30.5% $354

Groceries & Markets

Upper Marlboro, MD

$481 18.2%

Nosara

$351 19% 27% $130

Eating Out

Upper Marlboro, MD

$380 14.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 43.8% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Upper Marlboro, MD

$318 12.1%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 42.2% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Upper Marlboro, MD

$138 5.2%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 12.7% $18

Getting Around

Upper Marlboro, MD

$85 3.2%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 5.2% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Upper Marlboro, MD

$75 2.9%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 9.9% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,413 in Upper Marlboro, 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 Upper Marlboro, MD are about 9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $92 in Upper Marlboro, MD versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $481 vs $351 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Upper Marlboro, MD

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

13:00 1:00 PM

2 h behind Upper Marlboro, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

700

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

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Highest

Between locations

Upper Marlboro, MD Nosara 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Upper Marlboro, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,636 in Upper Marlboro, MD, $1,846 in Nosara – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,955 per month in Upper Marlboro, 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 $1,413 in Upper Marlboro, MD.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Upper Marlboro, MD. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,241 per month in Upper Marlboro, MD and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,636 in Upper Marlboro, 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, Upper Marlboro, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.