Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barnegat, NJ and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,507 in Barnegat, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Barnegat, NJ
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Barnegat, NJ Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Barnegat, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,507

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,507 in Barnegat, NJ versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Barnegat, NJ $2,507
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,839 in Barnegat, NJ versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Barnegat, NJ $3,839
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,171 in Barnegat, NJ versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Barnegat, NJ $5,171
Nosara $3,814

Living in Barnegat, NJ is roughly 37% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barnegat, NJ 85% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.80 $17.80

$12.34 ₡5,535

44.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.9 $95.9

$61.3 ₡27.5K

56.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 $10.81

$7.76 ₡3,481

39.30%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$4.44 ₡1,992

21.40%

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

$3.43 $3.43

$1.79 ₡803

91.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.29 ₡580

109.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 $7.13

$3.24 ₡1,451

120.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 $8.14

$4.43 ₡1,985

83.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.55 ₡696

-28.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.08 ₡1,380

34.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.53 ₡1,133

63.64%

Eggs

$4.77 $4.77

$3.45 ₡1,546

38.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$7.32 ₡3,284

77.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.94 $12.94

$10.24 ₡4,594

26.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.76 $18.76

$14.10 ₡6,326

33.05%

Apples (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$2.29 ₡1,027

169.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.64 ₡737

-3.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$4.79 ₡2,149

19.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.64 ₡735

147.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$3.85 ₡1,727

-29.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.75 ₡1,681

-24.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.09 ₡488

118.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.59 ₡1,160

-8.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.31 $13.31

$5.12 ₡2,295

159.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.66 $15.66

$19.92 ₡8,931

-21.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.80 ₡1,255

-7.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$3.52 ₡1,580

8.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.22 ₡549

81.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.17 ₡973

-16.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.56 ₡698

-10.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.14 $24.14

$8.67 ₡3,886

178.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.55 ₡697

-36.13%

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

$33.5K $33.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-3.04%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-30.87%

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

$218 $218

$94.8 ₡42.5K

129.84%

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

$66.0 $66.0

$36.15 ₡16.2K

82.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.3 $90.3

$53.1 ₡23.8K

70.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.78 $41.78

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$7.91 ₡3,548

86.60%

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

$1,935 $1,935

$490 ₡219.9K

294.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.8K $34.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

192.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 $51.6

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-5.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.0 $62.0

$55.9 ₡25.1K

10.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 $90.9

$80.4 ₡36.0K

13.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$77.9 ₡34.9K

40.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 $1,573

$801 ₡359.1K

96.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 $1,151

$790 ₡354.1K

45.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,709 $2,709

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-32.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 $2,126

$1,409 ₡632.0K

50.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,843 $2,843

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-59.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,161 $2,161

$1,236 ₡554.3K

74.84%

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 Barnegat, NJ: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barnegat, NJ

$1.2K 45.9%

Nosara

$790 43% 31.4% $362

Groceries & Markets

Barnegat, NJ

$435 17.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 19.7% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barnegat, NJ

$374 14.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 50.8% $190

Eating Out

Barnegat, NJ

$316 12.6%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 32.7% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Barnegat, NJ

$141 5.6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 14.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Barnegat, NJ

$71 2.8%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 25.7% $18

Getting Around

Barnegat, NJ

$18 * 0.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 403% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,573 in Barnegat, NJ and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $96.0 in Barnegat, NJ vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $435 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Barnegat, NJ

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

2 h behind Barnegat, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

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Between locations

Barnegat, NJ Nosara 3,500 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barnegat, NJ
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

Barnegat, NJ vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barnegat, NJ and Nosara differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($2,507 vs $1,835 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,761 in Barnegat, NJ and $2,753 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,573 in Barnegat, NJ versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,935 in Barnegat, NJ versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $96.0 in Barnegat, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,507 in Barnegat, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Barnegat, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Barnegat, NJ and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Barnegat, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.