Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Billings, MT and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,390 in Billings, MT, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Billings, MT
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Billings, MT Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Billings, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,390

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,390 per month in Billings, MT vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Billings, MT $2,390
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,554 per month in Billings, MT vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Billings, MT $3,554
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,718 per month in Billings, MT vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Billings, MT $4,718
San Jose $4,054

Billings, MT costs about 13% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Billings, MT and San Jose sit above the global median – Billings, MT by 77%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.92 $25.92

$12.37 ₡5,563

109.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$62.4 ₡28.0K

22.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.32 $13.32

$11.71 ₡5,264

13.75%

Cappuccino

$6.35 $6.35

$4.54 ₡2,040

39.87%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$2.75 ₡1,238

-8.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.86 ₡837

-11.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 $4.21

$3.35 ₡1,505

25.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 $5.02

$4.32 ₡1,944

16.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.36 ₡1,061

-57.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.07 ₡1,379

12.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.51 ₡1,128

25.50%

Eggs

$3.15 $3.15

$3.53 ₡1,585

-10.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.83 $11.83

$10.54 ₡4,738

12.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 $11.72

$10.57 ₡4,754

10.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.67 $17.67

$13.92 ₡6,261

26.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 $3.52

$5.20 ₡2,338

-32.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.65 ₡740

-12.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$4.89 ₡2,198

-41.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.84 ₡1,728

22.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$3.91 ₡1,757

-69.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$3.76 ₡1,692

-47.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.12 ₡504

113.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$3.22 ₡1,447

-54.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.82 $9.82

$6.02 ₡2,706

63.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 $10.70

$19.84 ₡8,919

-46.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.81 ₡1,264

-19.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 $5.18

$3.65 ₡1,643

41.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.08 ₡487

87.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.45 $28.45

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-56.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.26 ₡1,018

7.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.78 ₡799

-21.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.9 $60.9

$7.90 ₡3,551

670.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.50 ₡673

-32.00%

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

$29.2K $29.2K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-12.85%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-43.46%

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

$175 $175

$93.2 ₡41.9K

87.75%

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

$49.70 $49.70

$36.13 ₡16.2K

37.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.9 $82.9

$60.6 ₡27.2K

36.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.56 $41.56

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-39.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.97 $14.97

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-39.98%

Cinema Ticket

$14.02 $14.02

$7.67 ₡3,449

82.79%

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

$1,066 $1,066

$972 ₡436.9K

9.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,517 $8,517

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-54.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 $59.0

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-16.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.9 $66.9

$56.7 ₡25.5K

17.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 $99.3

$129 ₡57.8K

-22.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$131 ₡58.8K

-8.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 $1,198

$1,170 ₡525.9K

2.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 $1,085

$943 ₡424.1K

15.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 $1,860

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-6.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 $1,804

$1,400 ₡629.5K

28.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,525 $2,525

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-5.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,047 $2,047

$2,037 ₡915.8K

0.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,874 $3,874

$987 ₡443.6K

292.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

8.62

-25.75%

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

Last update for Billings, MT: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Billings, MT

$1.1K 45.4%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 13.1% $142

Eating Out

Billings, MT

$371 15.5%

San Jose

$232 11% 37.4% $139

Groceries & Markets

Billings, MT

$356 14.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 13.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Billings, MT

$308 12.9%

San Jose

$190 9% 38.3% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Billings, MT

$155 6.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 12% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Billings, MT

$70 2.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 21.1% $15

Getting Around

Billings, MT

$46 1.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 75.6% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,198 in Billings, MT 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 Billings, MT are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Billings, MT versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $356 in Billings, MT vs $403 in San Jose – so Billings, MT wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Billings, MT

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

07:41 7:41 AM

1 h ahead of Billings, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,116

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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Between locations

Billings, MT San Jose 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Billings, MT
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

Billings, MT vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Billings, MT costs about 13% 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 $3,586 per month in Billings, MT and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,198 in Billings, MT and $1,170 in San Jose. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Billings, MT. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,066 per month in Billings, MT and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,390 in Billings, MT. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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