Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toms River, NJ and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,885 in Toms River, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Toms River, NJ
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Toms River, NJ Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Toms River, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,885

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,885 per month in Toms River, NJ vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Toms River, NJ $2,885
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,341 per month in Toms River, NJ vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Toms River, NJ $4,341
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,796 per month in Toms River, NJ vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Toms River, NJ $5,796
Nosara $3,818

Toms River, NJ costs about 57% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Toms River, NJ and Nosara sit above the global median – Toms River, NJ by 114%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.91 $19.91

$12.35 ₡5,539

61.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.7 $75.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

23.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$7.52 ₡3,373

59.18%

Cappuccino

$5.73 $5.73

$4.41 ₡1,978

29.93%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$1.74 ₡780

47.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.31 ₡587

38.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 $5.04

$3.28 ₡1,471

53.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 $6.98

$4.47 ₡2,004

56.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.56 ₡701

-9.62%

White Bread (500g)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.02 ₡1,355

55.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.51 ₡1,125

-5.18%

Eggs

$4.61 $4.61

$3.57 ₡1,603

29.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.36 $16.36

$7.43 ₡3,333

120.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.77 $16.77

$10.52 ₡4,717

59.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.65 $16.65

$13.97 ₡6,265

19.18%

Apples (1kg)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.35 ₡1,052

148.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.61 ₡720

-18.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$4.80 ₡2,152

8.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$1.61 ₡724

272.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$3.80 ₡1,703

-60.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.69 ₡1,657

-27.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.13 ₡507

118.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.66 ₡1,191

-25.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.83 $9.83

$5.18 ₡2,321

89.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 $10.20

$19.88 ₡8,916

-48.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.90 ₡1,300

-7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 $3.24

$3.63 ₡1,626

-10.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.14 ₡958

42.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.57 ₡703

35.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.61 $41.61

$8.52 ₡3,823

388.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.52 ₡682

-36.84%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

64.13%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-27.67%

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

$242 $242

$96.3 ₡43.2K

151.30%

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

$36.84 $36.84

$35.89 ₡16.1K

2.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 $61.6

$53.6 ₡24.0K

14.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.62 $29.62

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-58.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$17.38 $17.38

$7.89 ₡3,539

120.28%

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

$2,600 $2,600

$494 ₡221.6K

426.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.9K $33.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

185.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.6 $68.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

27.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.0 $77.0

$55.4 ₡24.8K

38.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$77.9 ₡34.9K

55.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$79.6 ₡35.7K

51.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 $1,669

$788 ₡353.4K

111.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 $1,528

$794 ₡356.2K

92.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,823 $2,823

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-28.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,817 $2,817

$1,419 ₡636.5K

98.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,569 $5,569

$864 ₡387.3K

544.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

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

Last update for Toms River, NJ: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toms River, NJ

$1.5K 53%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 48% $733

Groceries & Markets

Toms River, NJ

$443 15.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 20.6% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toms River, NJ

$340 11.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 45.4% $155

Eating Out

Toms River, NJ

$321 11.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 33.9% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Toms River, NJ

$175 6.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 31.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Toms River, NJ

$64 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 35.7% $23

Getting Around

Toms River, NJ

$14 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 537% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,669 in Toms River, NJ versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 545% higher in Toms River, NJ, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Toms River, NJ versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $443 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Toms River, NJ

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

03:14 3:14 AM

2 h behind Toms River, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,438

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Toms River, NJ Nosara 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Toms River, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,885 in Toms River, NJ, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 57% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,327 per month in Toms River, NJ and $2,758 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 Toms River, 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 26% more in Toms River, 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 $1,839, than in Toms River, NJ at $2,885. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toms River, 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,885 in Toms River, 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, Toms River, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.