Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barnstable, MA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,362 in Barnstable, MA, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barnstable, MA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Barnstable, MA
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Barnstable, MA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Barnstable, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,362

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,362 in Barnstable, MA versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Barnstable, MA $2,362
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,481 in Barnstable, MA versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Barnstable, MA $3,481
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,600 in Barnstable, MA versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Barnstable, MA $4,600
San Jose $4,054

Living in Barnstable, MA is roughly 12% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barnstable, MA 75% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.34 $16.34

$12.37 ₡5,563

32.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$62.4 ₡28.0K

19.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 $9.86

$11.71 ₡5,264

-15.80%

Cappuccino

$3.94 $3.94

$4.54 ₡2,040

-13.22%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$2.75 ₡1,238

-20.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.86 ₡837

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 $5.15

$3.35 ₡1,505

53.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 $6.86

$4.32 ₡1,944

58.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.36 ₡1,061

-55.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 $2.89

$3.07 ₡1,379

-5.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.51 ₡1,128

67.73%

Eggs

$4.13 $4.13

$3.53 ₡1,585

17.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$10.54 ₡4,738

-39.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.84 $8.84

$10.57 ₡4,754

-16.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.56 $8.56

$13.92 ₡6,261

-38.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$5.20 ₡2,338

-18.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.65 ₡740

7.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$4.89 ₡2,198

-12.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.84 ₡1,728

-5.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.91 ₡1,757

-43.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$3.76 ₡1,692

-43.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.12 ₡504

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.22 ₡1,447

-21.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.01 $12.01

$6.02 ₡2,706

99.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.97 $12.97

$19.84 ₡8,919

-34.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.81 ₡1,264

-23.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.65 ₡1,643

3.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.08 ₡487

88.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.0 $59.0

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-9.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.26 ₡1,018

51.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.78 ₡799

38.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.39 $26.39

$7.90 ₡3,551

234.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.50 ₡673

-28.00%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.36%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-43.77%

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

$98.0 $98.0

$93.2 ₡41.9K

5.20%

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

$59.7 $59.7

$36.13 ₡16.2K

65.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 $64.0

$60.6 ₡27.2K

5.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.41 $40.41

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-41.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.30 $24.30

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-2.57%

Cinema Ticket

$14.24 $14.24

$7.67 ₡3,449

85.66%

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

$1,860 $1,860

$972 ₡436.9K

91.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.0K $44.0K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

133.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 $56.6

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-19.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 $37.58

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-33.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 $80.2

$129 ₡57.8K

-37.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.8 $99.8

$131 ₡58.8K

-23.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 $1,569

$1,170 ₡525.9K

34.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 $1,281

$943 ₡424.1K

35.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,593 $2,593

$1,984 ₡892.0K

30.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 $2,085

$1,400 ₡629.5K

48.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,816 $2,816

$2,681 ₡1.2M

5.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,306 $2,306

$2,037 ₡915.8K

13.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,592 $4,592

$987 ₡443.6K

365.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Barnstable, MA: 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

Barnstable, MA

$1.3K 54.2%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 26.3% $337

Groceries & Markets

Barnstable, MA

$322 13.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 25% $81

Eating Out

Barnstable, MA

$263 11.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 11.6% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barnstable, MA

$222 9.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 14.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Barnstable, MA

$123 5.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 41.1% $51

Getting Around

Barnstable, MA

$83 3.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 2.5% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Barnstable, MA

$69 2.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 22.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,569 in Barnstable, MA and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barnstable, MA pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Barnstable, MA vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $403, with Barnstable, MA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Barnstable, MA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

1 h behind Barnstable, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,000

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

Barnstable, MA San Jose 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barnstable, MA
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

Barnstable, MA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,362 in Barnstable, MA and $2,107 in San Jose, so San Jose is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barnstable, MA is about 4.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,569 in Barnstable, MA versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Barnstable, MA runs roughly 10% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,860 in Barnstable, MA versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Barnstable, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.