Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toms River, NJ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,859 in Toms River, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Toms River, NJ
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Toms River, NJ Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Toms River, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,859

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,859 per month in Toms River, NJ vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Toms River, NJ $2,859
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,325 per month in Toms River, NJ vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Toms River, NJ $4,325
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,791 per month in Toms River, NJ vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Toms River, NJ $5,791
San Jose $4,054

Toms River, NJ costs about 36% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Toms River, NJ and San Jose sit above the global median – Toms River, NJ by 111%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.27 $20.27

$12.37 ₡5,563

63.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 $74.1

$62.4 ₡28.0K

18.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 $11.92

$11.71 ₡5,264

1.79%

Cappuccino

$5.42 $5.42

$4.54 ₡2,040

19.38%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$2.75 ₡1,238

-4.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.86 ₡837

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$3.35 ₡1,505

53.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.85 $6.85

$4.32 ₡1,944

58.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$2.36 ₡1,061

-42.37%

White Bread (500g)

$4.79 $4.79

$3.07 ₡1,379

56.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.51 ₡1,128

-7.17%

Eggs

$4.46 $4.46

$3.53 ₡1,585

26.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 $16.78

$10.54 ₡4,738

59.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.76 $16.76

$10.57 ₡4,754

58.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.60 $16.60

$13.92 ₡6,261

19.25%

Apples (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$5.20 ₡2,338

10.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.65 ₡740

-21.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$4.89 ₡2,198

4.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.84 ₡1,728

53.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$3.91 ₡1,757

-61.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$3.76 ₡1,692

-27.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.12 ₡504

116.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$3.22 ₡1,447

-37.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$6.02 ₡2,706

67.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.70 $9.70

$19.84 ₡8,919

-51.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.81 ₡1,264

-1.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.65 ₡1,643

-7.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.26 ₡1,018

33.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.78 ₡799

24.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.39 $41.39

$7.90 ₡3,551

423.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.50 ₡673

-34.67%

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

$30.6K $30.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-8.48%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.73%

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

$217 $217

$93.2 ₡41.9K

132.45%

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

$36.16 $36.16

$36.13 ₡16.2K

0.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.0 $63.0

$60.6 ₡27.2K

3.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.57 $29.57

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-57.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$17.21 $17.21

$7.67 ₡3,449

124.38%

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

$3,056 $3,056

$972 ₡436.9K

214.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$51.2K $51.2K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

171.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 $68.7

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-2.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.2 $77.2

$56.7 ₡25.5K

36.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$129 ₡57.8K

-5.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$131 ₡58.8K

-7.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 $1,678

$1,170 ₡525.9K

43.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 $1,527

$943 ₡424.1K

61.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,822 $2,822

$1,984 ₡892.0K

42.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,847 $2,847

$1,400 ₡629.5K

103.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,381 $5,381

$987 ₡443.6K

445.41%

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 Toms River, NJ: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toms River, NJ

$1.5K 53.4%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 38.2% $584

Groceries & Markets

Toms River, NJ

$443 15.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 9.1% $40

Eating Out

Toms River, NJ

$320 11.2%

San Jose

$232 11% 27.5% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toms River, NJ

$316 11.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 39.9% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Toms River, NJ

$175 6.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Toms River, NJ

$64 2.2%

San Jose

$84 4% 31.7% $20

Getting Around

Toms River, NJ

$14 * 0.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 471% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,678 in Toms River, 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 Toms River, NJ are about 5.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Toms River, NJ versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $443 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Toms River, NJ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

15:50 3:50 PM

1 h behind Toms River, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,438

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toms River, NJ San Jose 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Toms River, 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

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

Yes – Toms River, NJ is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,289 per month in Toms River, 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 $1,678 in Toms River, NJ.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,859 in Toms River, NJ and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 26% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $3,056 per month in Toms River, NJ and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Toms River, NJ at $2,859. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toms River, 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, Toms River, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.