Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnsville, NC and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,665 in Burnsville, NC, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Burnsville, NC
Learn more

Burnsville, NC Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Burnsville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,665

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,665 per month in Burnsville, NC vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Burnsville, NC $2,665
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,958 per month in Burnsville, NC vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Burnsville, NC $3,958
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,252 per month in Burnsville, NC vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Burnsville, NC $5,252
San Jose $4,054

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

Both Burnsville, NC and San Jose sit above the global median – Burnsville, NC by 97%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.24 $18.24

$12.37 ₡5,546

47.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 $75.5

$62.4 ₡28.0K

21.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 $11.03

$11.71 ₡5,248

-5.81%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$4.54 ₡2,034

22.69%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$2.75 ₡1,234

-0.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.86 ₡835

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.35 ₡1,501

84.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.59 $7.59

$4.32 ₡1,938

75.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.36 ₡1,057

-56.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.07 ₡1,375

29.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.51 ₡1,124

28.29%

Eggs

$4.47 $4.47

$3.53 ₡1,580

26.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.53 $16.53

$10.54 ₡4,724

56.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.67 $15.67

$10.57 ₡4,740

48.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.37 $18.37

$13.92 ₡6,242

31.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$5.20 ₡2,331

1.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.65 ₡738

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$4.89 ₡2,191

-6.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.84 ₡1,722

17.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.91 ₡1,752

-3.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$3.76 ₡1,687

-17.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.12 ₡503

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.22 ₡1,443

-27.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.83 $8.83

$6.02 ₡2,698

46.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.39 $15.39

$19.84 ₡8,892

-22.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.81 ₡1,261

-12.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.65 ₡1,638

-0.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.08 ₡485

74.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 $53.3

$65.2 ₡29.2K

-18.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.26 ₡1,015

53.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.78 ₡797

20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.98 $29.98

$7.90 ₡3,540

279.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.50 ₡671

-34.00%

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

$34.7K $34.7K

$33.5K ₡15.0M

3.82%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.71%

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

$177 $177

$93.2 ₡41.8K

89.70%

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

$68.4 $68.4

$36.13 ₡16.2K

89.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.5 $78.5

$60.6 ₡27.2K

29.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.53 $38.53

$68.9 ₡30.9K

-44.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$16.20 $16.20

$7.67 ₡3,439

111.21%

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

$1,462 $1,462

$972 ₡435.6K

50.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K $30.6K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

62.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.0 $50.0

$70.6 ₡31.7K

-29.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.02 $38.02

$56.7 ₡25.4K

-32.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 $94.9

$129 ₡57.7K

-26.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$131 ₡58.7K

8.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,705 $1,705

$1,170 ₡524.3K

45.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 $1,294

$943 ₡422.8K

37.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,786 $2,786

$1,984 ₡889.3K

40.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,216 $2,216

$1,400 ₡627.6K

58.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,768 $2,768

$2,681 ₡1.2M

3.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,452 $2,452

$2,037 ₡913.0K

20.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡442.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Burnsville, NC: 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

Burnsville, NC

$1.3K 48.6%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 27.1% $351

Groceries & Markets

Burnsville, NC

$444 16.7%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 9.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnsville, NC

$324 12.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 41.3% $134

Eating Out

Burnsville, NC

$312 11.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 25.4% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Burnsville, NC

$146 5.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 19.3% $28

Getting Around

Burnsville, NC

$75 2.8%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 7.6% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Burnsville, NC

$71 2.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 18.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,705 in Burnsville, 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 $76 in Burnsville, NC versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $444 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burnsville, NC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

11:33 11:33 AM

1 h behind Burnsville, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,306

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 500 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Burnsville, NC San Jose 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Burnsville, 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

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

Burnsville, NC costs about 26% 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 $3,997 per month in Burnsville, 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 $1,705 in Burnsville, NC.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Burnsville, NC, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Burnsville, NC and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Burnsville, NC at $2,665. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burnsville, 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.