Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middletown, NJ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,647 in Middletown, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Middletown, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,647

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,647 per month in Middletown, NJ vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Middletown, NJ $2,647
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,949 per month in Middletown, NJ vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Middletown, NJ $3,949
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,251 per month in Middletown, NJ vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Middletown, NJ $5,251
San Jose $4,054

Middletown, NJ costs about 26% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Middletown, NJ and San Jose sit above the global median – Middletown, NJ by 96%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.84 $19.84

$12.37 ₡5,563

60.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 $104

$62.4 ₡28.0K

66.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 $12.20

$11.71 ₡5,264

4.18%

Cappuccino

$5.52 $5.52

$4.54 ₡2,040

21.59%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$2.75 ₡1,238

-4.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.86 ₡837

26.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 $6.42

$3.35 ₡1,505

91.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.05 $9.05

$4.32 ₡1,944

109.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.36 ₡1,061

-44.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.07 ₡1,379

15.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.51 ₡1,128

114.74%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$3.53 ₡1,585

10.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.20 $13.20

$10.54 ₡4,738

25.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 $6.71

$10.57 ₡4,754

-36.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.32 $13.32

$13.92 ₡6,261

-4.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$5.20 ₡2,338

-34.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.65 ₡740

-5.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$4.89 ₡2,198

-45.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$3.84 ₡1,728

12.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$3.91 ₡1,757

-58.57%

Onion (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.76 ₡1,692

15.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.12 ₡504

128.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.22 ₡1,447

-23.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.13 $9.13

$6.02 ₡2,706

51.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.15 $20.15

$19.84 ₡8,919

1.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.81 ₡1,264

-0.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.65 ₡1,643

-7.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.08 ₡487

102.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.6 $65.6

$65.2 ₡29.3K

0.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.26 ₡1,018

33.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.78 ₡799

20.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.59 $42.59

$7.90 ₡3,551

439.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.50 ₡673

-23.33%

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

$31.3K $31.3K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-6.58%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.71%

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

$224 $224

$93.2 ₡41.9K

140.06%

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

$60.8 $60.8

$36.13 ₡16.2K

68.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 $61.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

1.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.02 $36.02

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-47.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$19.85 $19.85

$7.67 ₡3,449

158.80%

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

$3,074 $3,074

$972 ₡436.9K

216.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K $20.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

10.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 $70.4

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-0.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.1 $76.1

$56.7 ₡25.5K

34.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$129 ₡57.8K

-5.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$131 ₡58.8K

-6.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 $1,553

$1,170 ₡525.9K

32.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 $1,258

$943 ₡424.1K

33.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,518 $2,518

$1,984 ₡892.0K

26.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 $2,106

$1,400 ₡629.5K

50.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,933 $2,933

$2,681 ₡1.2M

9.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,558 $2,558

$2,037 ₡915.8K

25.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,066 $3,066

$987 ₡443.6K

210.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.78

8.62

-21.35%

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

Last update for Middletown, 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

Middletown, NJ

$1.3K 47.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 25% $315

Groceries & Markets

Middletown, NJ

$372 14.1%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 8.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middletown, NJ

$346 13.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 45.1% $156

Eating Out

Middletown, NJ

$332 12.5%

San Jose

$232 11% 29.9% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Middletown, NJ

$175 6.6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 0.8% $1.4

Getting Around

Middletown, NJ

$88 3.3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 8.5% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Middletown, NJ

$76 2.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 11.3% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,553 in Middletown, 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.

Salaries in Middletown, NJ are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in Middletown, NJ versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $372 in Middletown, NJ vs $403 in San Jose – so Middletown, NJ wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Middletown, NJ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

07:19 7:19 AM

1 h behind Middletown, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,812

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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Between locations

Middletown, NJ San Jose 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Middletown, 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

Middletown, NJ vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,647 in Middletown, NJ, $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,970 per month in Middletown, 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 $1,553 in Middletown, NJ.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in Middletown, NJ and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Middletown, NJ – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Middletown, NJ at $2,647. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Middletown, 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.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Middletown, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.