Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middlesex, NJ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,599 in Middlesex, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Middlesex, NJ
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Middlesex, NJ Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Middlesex, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,599

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Middlesex, NJ and in San Jose

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 San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,599 per month in Middlesex, NJ vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Middlesex, NJ $2,599
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,818 per month in Middlesex, NJ vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Middlesex, NJ $3,818
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,036 per month in Middlesex, NJ vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Middlesex, NJ $5,036
San Jose $4,054

Middlesex, NJ costs about 23% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Middlesex, NJ and San Jose sit above the global median – Middlesex, NJ by 92%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.26 $20.26

$12.37 ₡5,563

63.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 $75.5

$62.4 ₡28.0K

21.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 $13.20

$11.71 ₡5,264

12.72%

Cappuccino

$5.26 $5.26

$4.54 ₡2,040

15.86%

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

$2.79 $2.79

$2.75 ₡1,238

1.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.86 ₡837

35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.93 $5.93

$3.35 ₡1,505

77.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 $8.25

$4.32 ₡1,944

90.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.36 ₡1,061

-57.63%

White Bread (500g)

$4.57 $4.57

$3.07 ₡1,379

48.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.51 ₡1,128

76.89%

Eggs

$6.43 $6.43

$3.53 ₡1,585

82.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$10.54 ₡4,738

-1.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.83 $10.83

$10.57 ₡4,754

2.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.37 $19.37

$13.92 ₡6,261

39.15%

Apples (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$5.20 ₡2,338

7.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.65 ₡740

-0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$4.89 ₡2,198

-31.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.84 ₡1,728

-21.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.91 ₡1,757

-43.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$3.76 ₡1,692

-34.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.12 ₡504

135.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.22 ₡1,447

-8.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 $13.89

$6.02 ₡2,706

130.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.05 $17.05

$19.84 ₡8,919

-14.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.81 ₡1,264

-33.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.65 ₡1,643

-21.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.08 ₡487

105.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.7 $62.7

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-3.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.26 ₡1,018

69.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.78 ₡799

24.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.86 $48.86

$7.90 ₡3,551

518.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.50 ₡673

-36.00%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.80%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.78%

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

$202 $202

$93.2 ₡41.9K

116.82%

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

$36.43 $36.43

$36.13 ₡16.2K

0.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 $60.6

$60.6 ₡27.2K

0.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.71 $37.71

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-45.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$12.52 $12.52

$7.67 ₡3,449

63.23%

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

$2,096 $2,096

$972 ₡436.9K

115.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.8K $34.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

84.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.26 $38.26

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-45.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.02 $16.02

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-71.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 $99.6

$129 ₡57.8K

-22.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$131 ₡58.8K

-10.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,671 $2,671

$1,170 ₡525.9K

128.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 $1,281

$943 ₡424.1K

35.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,984 ₡892.0K

27.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 $2,130

$1,400 ₡629.5K

52.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,053 $3,053

$2,681 ₡1.2M

13.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,456 $2,456

$2,037 ₡915.8K

20.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

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 Middlesex, NJ: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Middlesex, NJ

$1.3K 49.3%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 26.4% $338

Groceries & Markets

Middlesex, NJ

$416 16%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 3.1% $13

Eating Out

Middlesex, NJ

$332 12.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 30% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middlesex, NJ

$299 11.5%

San Jose

$190 9% 36.5% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Middlesex, NJ

$122 4.7%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 42.9% $52

Getting Around

Middlesex, NJ

$86 3.3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 6.6% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Middlesex, NJ

$63 2.4%

San Jose

$84 4% 34.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,671 in Middlesex, NJ versus $1,170 in San Jose. 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 $75 in Middlesex, NJ versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $416 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Middlesex, NJ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

03:41 3:41 AM

1 h behind Middlesex, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,746

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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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Middlesex, NJ San Jose 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Middlesex, NJ
San Jose

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 San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Middlesex, NJ is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,899 per month in Middlesex, NJ and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $2,671 in Middlesex, NJ.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Middlesex, NJ, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Middlesex, NJ and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Middlesex, NJ at $2,599. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Middlesex, NJ it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.