Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middlesex, NJ and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,521 in Middlesex, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Middlesex, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,521

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,521 per month in Middlesex, NJ vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Middlesex, NJ $2,521
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,662 per month in Middlesex, NJ vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Middlesex, NJ $3,662
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,803 per month in Middlesex, NJ vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Middlesex, NJ $4,803
Nosara $3,712

Middlesex, NJ costs about 37% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Middlesex, NJ and Nosara sit above the global median – Middlesex, NJ by 88%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 $19.89

$12.22 ₡5,509

62.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 $76.0

$60.2 ₡27.1K

26.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.02 $13.02

$7.54 ₡3,399

72.68%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$4.31 ₡1,941

18.10%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$1.72 ₡773

61.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.35 ₡608

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.88 $5.88

$3.24 ₡1,459

81.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.93 $8.93

$4.48 ₡2,018

99.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.57 ₡707

-35.67%

White Bread (500g)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.17 ₡1,429

42.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.42 ₡1,091

80.99%

Eggs

$6.22 $6.22

$3.57 ₡1,609

74.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.68 $10.68

$7.43 ₡3,349

43.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$10.42 ₡4,697

3.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.72 $18.72

$13.66 ₡6,156

37.04%

Apples (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$2.32 ₡1,044

142.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.61 ₡728

-3.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$4.74 ₡2,138

-29.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.66 ₡747

83.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$3.72 ₡1,679

-41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.57 ₡1,611

-29.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.10 ₡497

142.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.55 ₡1,149

15.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.09 $13.09

$4.95 ₡2,232

164.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.27 $17.27

$20.01 ₡9,020

-13.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.79 ₡1,256

-34.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.53 ₡1,589

-22.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.19 ₡537

51.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.95 $5.95

$2.24 ₡1,011

165.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.55 ₡701

18.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.78 $27.78

$8.86 ₡3,993

213.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.57 ₡708

-34.39%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

71.13%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-25.94%

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

$181 $181

$93.5 ₡42.1K

93.58%

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

$36.54 $36.54

$35.11 ₡15.8K

4.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 $59.0

$51.5 ₡23.2K

14.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.77 $35.77

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-49.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.71 $12.71

$7.84 ₡3,535

62.12%

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

$2,105 $2,105

$490 ₡220.7K

330.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K $22.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

87.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.32 $38.32

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-28.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.53 $16.53

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-70.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$79.3 ₡35.7K

27.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$78.9 ₡35.6K

28.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 $2,576

$786 ₡354.3K

227.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$780 ₡351.6K

64.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,469 $2,469

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-36.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,167 $2,167

$1,407 ₡634.4K

53.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,705 $2,705

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-61.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,574 $2,574

$1,201 ₡541.3K

114.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

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 Middlesex, NJ: 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

Middlesex, NJ

$1.3K 51.4%

Nosara

$780 43% 39.4% $507

Groceries & Markets

Middlesex, NJ

$412 16.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 15.3% $63

Eating Out

Middlesex, NJ

$327 13.1%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 36% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middlesex, NJ

$276 11.1%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 34.9% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Middlesex, NJ

$116 4.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 4% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Middlesex, NJ

$61 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 42.3% $26

Getting Around

Middlesex, NJ

$22 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 288% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,576 in Middlesex, NJ 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Middlesex, NJ versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $412 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Middlesex, NJ

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

08:38 8:38 AM

2 h behind Middlesex, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,746

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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 11, 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

Middlesex, NJ Nosara 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Middlesex, 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

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

Yes – Middlesex, NJ is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,781 per month in Middlesex, NJ 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,521 in Middlesex, NJ and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 37%.

Kindergarten costs $2,105 per month in Middlesex, NJ 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 Middlesex, NJ at $2,521. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Middlesex, NJ it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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, Middlesex, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.