Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bozeman, MT and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,137 in Bozeman, MT, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bozeman, MT outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

149

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Bozeman, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$3,137

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,137 per month in Bozeman, MT vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Bozeman, MT $3,137
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,442 per month in Bozeman, MT vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Bozeman, MT $4,442
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,747 per month in Bozeman, MT vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Bozeman, MT $5,747
San Jose $4,054

Bozeman, MT costs about 49% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bozeman, MT and San Jose sit above the global median – Bozeman, MT by 132%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.12 $17.12

$12.37 ₡5,563

38.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.0 $75.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

20.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.09 $15.09

$11.71 ₡5,264

28.86%

Cappuccino

$4.38 $4.38

$4.54 ₡2,040

-3.52%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$2.75 ₡1,238

10.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.86 ₡837

34.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 $6.97

$3.35 ₡1,505

108.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 $7.16

$4.32 ₡1,944

65.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.36 ₡1,061

-55.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.07 ₡1,379

9.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.21 $7.21

$2.51 ₡1,128

187.25%

Eggs

$6.22 $6.22

$3.53 ₡1,585

76.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.70 $24.70

$10.54 ₡4,738

134.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 $10.05

$10.57 ₡4,754

-4.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$13.92 ₡6,261

34.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$5.20 ₡2,338

-15.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.65 ₡740

-15.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$4.89 ₡2,198

-15.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$3.84 ₡1,728

0.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$3.91 ₡1,757

-51.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.76 ₡1,692

-42.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.12 ₡504

108.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$3.22 ₡1,447

-34.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.90 $9.90

$6.02 ₡2,706

64.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 $15.27

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.81 ₡1,264

-36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$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)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.26 ₡1,018

7.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.78 ₡799

-21.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.1 $61.1

$7.90 ₡3,551

673.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.50 ₡673

-30.67%

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

$32.2K $32.2K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-3.79%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-42.65%

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

$171 $171

$93.2 ₡41.9K

83.93%

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

$51.1 $51.1

$36.13 ₡16.2K

41.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$60.6 ₡27.2K

12.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.5 $64.5

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-6.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.50 $26.50

$24.94 ₡11.2K

6.26%

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 $13.31

$7.67 ₡3,449

73.53%

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

$1,214 $1,214

$972 ₡436.9K

24.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K $14.9K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-21.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 $55.2

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-21.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.86 $32.86

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-42.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 $97.9

$129 ₡57.8K

-23.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.55 $49.55

$131 ₡58.8K

-62.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,507 $2,507

$1,170 ₡525.9K

114.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 $1,897

$943 ₡424.1K

101.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,806 $3,806

$1,984 ₡892.0K

91.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 $2,961

$1,400 ₡629.5K

111.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,745 $5,745

$2,681 ₡1.2M

114.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,621 $4,621

$2,037 ₡915.8K

126.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,134 $4,134

$987 ₡443.6K

319.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

8.62

-22.04%

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

Last update for Bozeman, MT: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bozeman, MT

$1.9K 60.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 50.3% $954

Groceries & Markets

Bozeman, MT

$437 13.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 7.8% $34

Eating Out

Bozeman, MT

$306 9.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 24.1% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bozeman, MT

$291 9.3%

San Jose

$190 9% 34.6% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Bozeman, MT

$106 3.4%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 64.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Bozeman, MT

$91 2.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 7.5% $6.8

Getting Around

Bozeman, MT

$9.4 * 0.3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 760% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,507 in Bozeman, 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 Bozeman, MT are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Bozeman, MT versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $437 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bozeman, MT

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

1 h ahead of Bozeman, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,293

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

Bozeman, MT San Jose 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bozeman, 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

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

Yes – Bozeman, MT is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,706 per month in Bozeman, MT 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 $2,507 in Bozeman, MT.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Bozeman, MT and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Bozeman, MT, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Bozeman, MT at $3,137. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bozeman, MT 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, Bozeman, MT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.