Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Branch, NJ and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,617 in Long Branch, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Long Branch, NJ
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Long Branch, NJ Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Long Branch, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,617

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,617 per month in Long Branch, NJ vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Long Branch, NJ $2,617
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,863 per month in Long Branch, NJ vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Long Branch, NJ $3,863
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,108 per month in Long Branch, NJ vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Long Branch, NJ $5,108
Nosara $3,814

Long Branch, NJ costs about 43% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Long Branch, NJ and Nosara sit above the global median – Long Branch, NJ by 93%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.36 $20.36

$12.34 ₡5,535

64.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$61.3 ₡27.5K

24.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.96 $12.96

$7.76 ₡3,481

67.01%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$4.44 ₡1,992

10.14%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$1.79 ₡803

59.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.29 ₡580

55.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.24 ₡1,451

20.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 $6.86

$4.43 ₡1,985

54.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.55 ₡696

-31.61%

White Bread (500g)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.08 ₡1,380

50.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.53 ₡1,133

69.57%

Eggs

$6.35 $6.35

$3.45 ₡1,546

84.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.43 $10.43

$7.32 ₡3,284

42.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.60 $10.60

$10.24 ₡4,594

3.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.31 $19.31

$14.10 ₡6,326

36.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.29 ₡1,027

141.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.64 ₡737

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$4.79 ₡2,149

-31.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.64 ₡735

87.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.85 ₡1,727

-44.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$3.75 ₡1,681

-36.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.09 ₡488

149.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.59 ₡1,160

9.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 $13.88

$5.12 ₡2,295

171.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.01 $17.01

$19.92 ₡8,931

-14.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.80 ₡1,255

-33.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$3.52 ₡1,580

-22.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.22 ₡549

86.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.18 $6.18

$2.17 ₡973

184.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.56 ₡698

12.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.54 $25.54

$8.67 ₡3,886

194.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.55 ₡697

-29.68%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.24%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.45%

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

$180 $180

$94.8 ₡42.5K

90.11%

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

$36.64 $36.64

$36.15 ₡16.2K

1.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.8 $57.8

$53.1 ₡23.8K

8.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.02 $36.02

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-51.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.37 $12.37

$7.91 ₡3,548

56.38%

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

$2,143 $2,143

$490 ₡219.9K

337.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K $20.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

73.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.04 $38.04

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-30.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.27 $16.27

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-70.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 $99.9

$80.4 ₡36.0K

24.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$77.9 ₡34.9K

44.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,412 $1,412

$801 ₡359.1K

76.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,412 $1,412

$790 ₡354.1K

78.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,858 $2,858

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-28.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,394 $2,394

$1,409 ₡632.0K

69.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,738 $2,738

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-61.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,383 $2,383

$1,236 ₡554.3K

92.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Long Branch, NJ: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Long Branch, NJ

$1.4K 53.9%

Nosara

$790 43% 44.1% $622

Groceries & Markets

Long Branch, NJ

$413 15.8%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 15.3% $63

Eating Out

Long Branch, NJ

$313 12%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 32.1% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Branch, NJ

$275 10.5%

Nosara

$184 10% 33% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Long Branch, NJ

$120 4.6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Long Branch, NJ

$61 2.3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 47.5% $29

Getting Around

Long Branch, NJ

$24 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 269% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,412 in Long Branch, NJ 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 $76.0 in Long Branch, NJ versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $413 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Branch, NJ

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:58 1:58 AM

23:58 11:58 PM

2 h behind Long Branch, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,314

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

Long Branch, NJ Nosara 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Long Branch, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,617 in Long Branch, NJ, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,925 per month in Long Branch, NJ 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 $76.0 in Long Branch, NJ 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 18% more in Long Branch, NJ, 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 Long Branch, NJ at $2,617. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Long Branch, NJ 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 $2,617 in Long Branch, NJ. 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, Long Branch, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.