Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brunswick, ME and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,661 in Brunswick, ME, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Brunswick, ME
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Brunswick, ME Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Brunswick, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,661

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,661 in Brunswick, ME versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Brunswick, ME $2,661
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,047 in Brunswick, ME versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Brunswick, ME $4,047
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,432 in Brunswick, ME versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Brunswick, ME $5,432
San Jose $4,054

Living in Brunswick, ME is roughly 26% 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: Brunswick, ME 97% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.39 $25.39

$12.37 ₡5,563

105.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 $121

$62.4 ₡28.0K

93.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.92 $14.92

$11.71 ₡5,264

27.41%

Cappuccino

$6.24 $6.24

$4.54 ₡2,040

37.44%

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

$3.18 $3.18

$2.75 ₡1,238

15.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.86 ₡837

33.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$3.35 ₡1,505

133.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.32 ₡1,944

88.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.36 ₡1,061

-60.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.07 ₡1,379

3.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.51 ₡1,128

41.04%

Eggs

$2.42 $2.42

$3.53 ₡1,585

-31.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.05 $13.05

$10.54 ₡4,738

23.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.11 $10.11

$10.57 ₡4,754

-4.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.77 $15.77

$13.92 ₡6,261

13.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$5.20 ₡2,338

-10.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.65 ₡740

-7.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$4.89 ₡2,198

-12.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$3.84 ₡1,728

67.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.91 ₡1,757

-13.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.76 ₡1,692

-3.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.12 ₡504

126.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$3.22 ₡1,447

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.78 $8.78

$6.02 ₡2,706

45.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 $12.90

$19.84 ₡8,919

-34.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.81 ₡1,264

-52.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$3.65 ₡1,643

-48.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.08 ₡487

78.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.9 $66.9

$65.2 ₡29.3K

2.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.26 ₡1,018

78.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.78 ₡799

24.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.37 $30.37

$7.90 ₡3,551

284.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.50 ₡673

-22.67%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-19.87%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.89%

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

$163 $163

$93.2 ₡41.9K

74.68%

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

$69.8 $69.8

$36.13 ₡16.2K

93.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.7 $78.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

29.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.80 $34.80

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-49.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.77 $13.77

$7.67 ₡3,449

79.53%

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

$1,262 $1,262

$972 ₡436.9K

29.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.3K $27.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

44.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 $53.3

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-24.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.3 $79.3

$56.7 ₡25.5K

39.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$129 ₡57.8K

-19.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$131 ₡58.8K

0.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 $1,594

$1,170 ₡525.9K

36.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 $1,262

$943 ₡424.1K

33.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,553 $2,553

$1,984 ₡892.0K

28.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,109 $2,109

$1,400 ₡629.5K

50.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,210 $3,210

$2,681 ₡1.2M

19.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,420 $2,420

$2,037 ₡915.8K

18.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,722 $4,722

$987 ₡443.6K

378.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

8.62

-24.59%

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

Last update for Brunswick, ME: 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

Brunswick, ME

$1.3K 47.4%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 25.3% $319

Eating Out

Brunswick, ME

$401 15.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 42% $168

Groceries & Markets

Brunswick, ME

$370 13.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brunswick, ME

$311 11.7%

San Jose

$190 9% 39% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Brunswick, ME

$165 6.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 5.3% $8.8

Getting Around

Brunswick, ME

$90 3.4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 10.1% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Brunswick, ME

$62 2.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 35.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,594 in Brunswick, ME and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brunswick, ME pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $121 in Brunswick, ME vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $370 vs $403, with Brunswick, ME cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brunswick, ME

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

10:20 10:20 AM

1 h behind Brunswick, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,287

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brunswick, ME San Jose 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Brunswick, ME
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

Brunswick, ME vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Brunswick, ME is about 4.8 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: $1,594 in Brunswick, ME versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,262 in Brunswick, ME versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $121 in Brunswick, ME. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,661 in Brunswick, ME, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Brunswick, ME. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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