Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Summit, NJ and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,842 in Summit, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $24,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

189

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Summit, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,842

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,842 per month in Summit, NJ vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Summit, NJ $3,842
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $5,955 per month in Summit, NJ vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Summit, NJ $5,955
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $8,069 per month in Summit, NJ vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Summit, NJ $8,069
Nosara $3,712

Summit, NJ costs about 109% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Summit, NJ and Nosara sit above the global median – Summit, NJ by 187%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.62 $24.62

$12.22 ₡5,509

101.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$60.2 ₡27.1K

66.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 $11.09

$7.54 ₡3,399

47.08%

Cappuccino

$5.41 $5.41

$4.31 ₡1,941

25.52%

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

$2.24 $2.24

$1.72 ₡773

30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.35 ₡608

8.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.07 $8.07

$3.24 ₡1,459

149.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 $7.83

$4.48 ₡2,018

74.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.57 ₡707

-19.11%

White Bread (500g)

$4.27 $4.27

$3.17 ₡1,429

34.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.08 $6.08

$2.42 ₡1,091

151.24%

Eggs

$5.90 $5.90

$3.57 ₡1,609

65.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 $13.92

$7.43 ₡3,349

87.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.46 $10.46

$10.42 ₡4,697

0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$13.66 ₡6,156

28.77%

Apples (1kg)

$6.11 $6.11

$2.32 ₡1,044

163.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.61 ₡728

6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$4.74 ₡2,138

-12.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$1.66 ₡747

213.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.72 ₡1,679

-17.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.66 $3.66

$3.57 ₡1,611

2.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.10 ₡497

179.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.55 ₡1,149

14.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 $11.28

$4.95 ₡2,232

127.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.83 $19.83

$20.01 ₡9,020

-0.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.79 ₡1,256

-36.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.30 $5.30

$3.53 ₡1,589

50.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.24 ₡1,011

35.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.55 ₡701

34.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.22 $24.22

$8.86 ₡3,993

173.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.57 ₡708

-28.66%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

61.24%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-27.33%

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

$213 $213

$93.5 ₡42.1K

128.43%

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

$61.2 $61.2

$35.11 ₡15.8K

74.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 $50.7

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-1.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.2 $80.2

$71.4 ₡32.2K

12.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.75 $14.75

$7.84 ₡3,535

88.14%

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

$2,015 $2,015

$490 ₡220.7K

311.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

36.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.66 $41.66

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-22.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 $57.6

$55.8 ₡25.1K

3.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 $74.8

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-5.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$78.9 ₡35.6K

50.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,697 $2,697

$786 ₡354.3K

243.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,457 $2,457

$780 ₡351.6K

215.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,556 $5,556

$3,860 ₡1.7M

43.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,055 $5,055

$1,407 ₡634.4K

259.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.62

-21.69%

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

Last update for Summit, NJ: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Summit, NJ

$2.5K 63.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 68.3% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Summit, NJ

$457 11.8%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 23.4% $107

Eating Out

Summit, NJ

$366 9.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 42.8% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Summit, NJ

$325 8.4%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 44.7% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Summit, NJ

$132 3.4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 8.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Summit, NJ

$110 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 20.6% $23

Getting Around

Summit, NJ

$13 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 544% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,697 in Summit, 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 $100 in Summit, NJ versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $457 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Summit, NJ

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

01:44 1:44 AM

2 h behind Summit, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,161

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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 12, 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

Summit, NJ Nosara 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Summit, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,842 in Summit, NJ, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 109% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,762 per month in Summit, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Summit, NJ and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Summit, 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 $1,837, than in Summit, NJ at $3,842. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Summit, 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $3,842 in Summit, 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, Summit, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.