Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, NC and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,645 in Burlington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, NC
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Burlington, NC Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,645

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Burlington, NC vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Burlington, NC $2,645
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,850 per month in Burlington, NC vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Burlington, NC $3,850
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,054 per month in Burlington, NC vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Burlington, NC $5,054
San Jose $4,054

Burlington, NC costs about 26% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Burlington, NC and San Jose sit above the global median – Burlington, NC by 96%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.38 $19.38

$12.37 ₡5,563

56.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 $74.3

$62.4 ₡28.0K

19.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 $10.92

$11.71 ₡5,264

-6.75%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.54 ₡2,040

11.01%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$2.75 ₡1,238

-4.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.86 ₡837

4.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.35 ₡1,505

83.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$4.32 ₡1,944

57.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.36 ₡1,061

-55.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.07 ₡1,379

14.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.51 ₡1,128

68.53%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$3.53 ₡1,585

19.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 $12.02

$10.54 ₡4,738

14.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.26 $11.26

$10.57 ₡4,754

6.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 $15.19

$13.92 ₡6,261

9.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$5.20 ₡2,338

-8.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.65 ₡740

-5.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$4.89 ₡2,198

-15.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.84 ₡1,728

20.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.91 ₡1,757

-26.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.76 ₡1,692

-23.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.12 ₡504

88.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$3.22 ₡1,447

-34.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.40 $9.40

$6.02 ₡2,706

56.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 $13.88

$19.84 ₡8,919

-30.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.81 ₡1,264

-36.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.65 ₡1,643

-7.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.08 ₡487

89.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 $59.9

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-8.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.26 ₡1,018

53.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.78 ₡799

-10.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.13 $29.13

$7.90 ₡3,551

268.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.50 ₡673

-44.67%

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

$29.1K $29.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-13.09%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.16%

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

$188 $188

$93.2 ₡41.9K

101.41%

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

$53.1 $53.1

$36.13 ₡16.2K

46.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.2 $68.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

12.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.74 $42.74

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-38.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.63 $13.63

$7.67 ₡3,449

77.71%

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

$1,310 $1,310

$972 ₡436.9K

34.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

23.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 $50.4

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-28.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.77 $40.77

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-28.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 $85.8

$129 ₡57.8K

-33.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$131 ₡58.8K

-12.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 $1,611

$1,170 ₡525.9K

37.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 $1,363

$943 ₡424.1K

44.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,655 $2,655

$1,984 ₡892.0K

33.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,223 $2,223

$1,400 ₡629.5K

58.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,746 $2,746

$2,681 ₡1.2M

2.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,444 $2,444

$2,037 ₡915.8K

19.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Burlington, NC: 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

Burlington, NC

$1.4K 51.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 30.8% $420

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, NC

$382 14.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 5.5% $21

Eating Out

Burlington, NC

$311 11.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 25.3% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, NC

$309 11.7%

San Jose

$190 9% 38.5% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, NC

$131 5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 33% $43

Getting Around

Burlington, NC

$80 3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 1.5% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, NC

$70 2.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 20.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,611 in Burlington, NC 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Burlington, NC versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Burlington, NC vs $403 in San Jose – so Burlington, NC wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, NC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

09:08 9:08 AM

08:08 8:08 AM

1 h behind Burlington, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

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

Burlington, NC San Jose 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, NC
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

Burlington, NC vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,645 in Burlington, NC, $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Burlington, NC 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 $1,611 in Burlington, NC.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Burlington, NC. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,310 per month in Burlington, NC and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Burlington, NC at $2,645. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington, NC 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.