Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bemidji, MN and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,544 in Bemidji, MN, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bemidji, MN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

124

Cost of Living Index in Bemidji, MN
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Bemidji, MN Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Bemidji, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,544

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,544 per month in Bemidji, MN vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Bemidji, MN $2,544
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,762 per month in Bemidji, MN vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Bemidji, MN $3,762
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $4,979 per month in Bemidji, MN vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Bemidji, MN $4,979
San Jose $3,929

Bemidji, MN costs about 32% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bemidji, MN and San Jose sit above the global median – Bemidji, MN by 88%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.32 $20.32

$12.29 ₡5,513

65.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 $74.4

$62.3 ₡27.9K

19.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 $11.30

$11.53 ₡5,171

-1.99%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$4.35 ₡1,953

20.46%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$2.64 ₡1,183

-1.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.86 ₡836

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 $6.05

$3.32 ₡1,490

82.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 $7.36

$4.52 ₡2,026

62.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.39 ₡1,073

-57.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.08 ₡1,381

12.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$2.50 ₡1,119

74.00%

Eggs

$3.78 $3.78

$3.48 ₡1,562

8.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 $11.71

$10.74 ₡4,815

9.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 $11.70

$10.32 ₡4,629

13.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 $17.03

$14.10 ₡6,325

20.78%

Apples (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$5.03 ₡2,256

9.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.59 ₡714

-11.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$4.84 ₡2,171

-1.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$3.96 ₡1,776

24.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.76 ₡1,684

-28.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$3.73 ₡1,674

-25.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.08 ₡485

108.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$3.25 ₡1,456

-33.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.26 $11.26

$5.86 ₡2,627

92.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$20.28 ₡9,095

-27.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.90 ₡1,300

-39.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.73 ₡1,673

-21.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.08 ₡486

86.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.50 ₡1,123

18.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.63 ₡732

13.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.75 $29.75

$8.71 ₡3,904

241.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.58 ₡709

-51.90%

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

$32.1K $32.1K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-4.52%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-40.33%

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

$199 $199

$93.7 ₡42.0K

112.72%

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

$60.8 $60.8

$35.42 ₡15.9K

71.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$60.0 ₡26.9K

14.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.30 $42.30

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-41.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$12.82 $12.82

$7.74 ₡3,471

65.63%

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

$1,426 $1,426

$1,005 ₡450.9K

41.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K $22.7K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

34.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.82 $47.82

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-34.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 $39.77

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-28.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$128 ₡57.5K

-21.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$130 ₡58.5K

-21.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,625 $1,625

$932 ₡418.0K

74.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 $1,279

$760 ₡340.8K

68.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,501 $2,501

$1,922 ₡862.0K

30.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,188 $2,188

$1,276 ₡572.1K

71.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,772 $2,772

$2,301 ₡1.0M

20.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,391 $2,391

$1,833 ₡821.9K

30.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Bemidji, MN: October 20, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bemidji, MN

$1.3K 50.3%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 40.6% $519

Groceries & Markets

Bemidji, MN

$395 15.5%

San Jose

$403 21% 2.1% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bemidji, MN

$329 12.9%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 42.5% $140

Eating Out

Bemidji, MN

$323 12.7%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 29.1% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Bemidji, MN

$131 5.1%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 33.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Bemidji, MN

$68 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 29.6% $20

Getting Around

Bemidji, MN

$20 * 0.8%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 298% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,625 in Bemidji, MN versus $932 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Bemidji, MN versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $395 in Bemidji, MN vs $403 in San Jose – so Bemidji, MN wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bemidji, MN

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:55 12:55 PM

11:55 11:55 AM

1 h behind Bemidji, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,431

342,188 Capital

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Bemidji, MN San Jose 4,300 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bemidji, MN
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

Bemidji, MN vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bemidji, MN costs about 32% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,816 per month in Bemidji, MN and $2,886 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Bemidji, MN and $62.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Bemidji, MN – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Bemidji, MN at $2,544. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bemidji, MN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $1,924 versus $2,544 in Bemidji, MN. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bemidji, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.