Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beaufort, SC and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,391 in Beaufort, SC, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Beaufort, SC outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Beaufort, SC
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Beaufort, SC Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Beaufort, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,391

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,391 in Beaufort, SC versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Beaufort, SC $2,391
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,552 in Beaufort, SC versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Beaufort, SC $3,552
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,712 in Beaufort, SC versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Beaufort, SC $4,712
San Jose $4,054

Living in Beaufort, SC is roughly 13% 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: Beaufort, SC 77% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.41 $18.41

$12.37 ₡5,563

48.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$62.4 ₡28.0K

62.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 $11.43

$11.71 ₡5,264

-2.39%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$4.54 ₡2,040

17.84%

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

$2.49 $2.49

$2.75 ₡1,238

-9.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.86 ₡837

8.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 $3.70

$3.35 ₡1,505

10.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 $4.03

$4.32 ₡1,944

-6.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.36 ₡1,061

-59.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.07 ₡1,379

5.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$2.51 ₡1,128

44.62%

Eggs

$3.90 $3.90

$3.53 ₡1,585

10.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 $8.86

$10.54 ₡4,738

-15.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$10.57 ₡4,754

-42.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 $11.07

$13.92 ₡6,261

-20.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$5.20 ₡2,338

-10.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.65 ₡740

-20.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$4.89 ₡2,198

-21.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$3.84 ₡1,728

-48.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.91 ₡1,757

-34.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.76 ₡1,692

-42.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.12 ₡504

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$3.22 ₡1,447

-22.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.07 $9.07

$6.02 ₡2,706

50.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.39 $15.39

$19.84 ₡8,919

-22.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.81 ₡1,264

-24.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.65 ₡1,643

-15.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.26 ₡1,018

-34.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.78 ₡799

-37.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.71 $13.71

$7.90 ₡3,551

73.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.50 ₡673

-50.00%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-22.47%

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

$21.0K $21.0K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-50.40%

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

$92.3 $92.3

$93.2 ₡41.9K

-0.99%

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

$63.4 $63.4

$36.13 ₡16.2K

75.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 $68.9

$60.6 ₡27.2K

13.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.15 $25.15

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-63.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$9.93 $9.93

$7.67 ₡3,449

29.47%

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

$1,314 $1,314

$972 ₡436.9K

35.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K $21.0K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

11.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-8.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.96 $47.96

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-15.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$129 ₡57.8K

-11.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 $150

$131 ₡58.8K

14.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 $1,561

$1,170 ₡525.9K

33.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,339 $1,339

$943 ₡424.1K

42.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,748 $2,748

$1,984 ₡892.0K

38.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 $2,141

$1,400 ₡629.5K

52.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,693 $3,693

$2,681 ₡1.2M

37.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,680 $3,680

$2,037 ₡915.8K

80.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,119 $4,119

$987 ₡443.6K

317.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

8.62

-22.27%

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

Last update for Beaufort, SC: November 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beaufort, SC

$1.3K 56%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 29.6% $396

Groceries & Markets

Beaufort, SC

$316 13.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 27.4% $87

Eating Out

Beaufort, SC

$290 12.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 20% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beaufort, SC

$225 9.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 15.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Beaufort, SC

$169 7.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 3.1% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Beaufort, SC

$45 1.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 87.2% $39

Getting Around

Beaufort, SC

$7.1 * 0.3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 1042% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,561 in Beaufort, SC and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Beaufort, SC pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Beaufort, SC vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $403, with Beaufort, SC cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Beaufort, SC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:19 12:19 PM

11:19 11:19 AM

1 h behind Beaufort, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,029

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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Highest

Between locations

Beaufort, SC San Jose 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Beaufort, SC
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

Beaufort, SC vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Beaufort, SC is about 4.2 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: $1,561 in Beaufort, SC versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Beaufort, SC pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,391 per month in Beaufort, SC versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Beaufort, SC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.