Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butte, MT and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Butte, MT: $1,847 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Butte, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$1,847

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,847 per month in Butte, MT vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Butte, MT $1,847
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $2,811 per month in Butte, MT vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Butte, MT $2,811
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $3,775 per month in Butte, MT vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Butte, MT $3,775
San Jose $4,054

Butte, MT is about 12% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Butte, MT and San Jose sit above the global median – Butte, MT by 37%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.93 $14.93

$12.37 ₡5,563

20.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-5.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 $9.39

$11.71 ₡5,264

-19.81%

Cappuccino

$4.27 $4.27

$4.54 ₡2,040

-5.95%

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

$2.09 $2.09

$2.75 ₡1,238

-24.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.86 ₡837

26.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.35 ₡1,505

-11.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$4.32 ₡1,944

18.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.36 ₡1,061

-52.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 $2.52

$3.07 ₡1,379

-17.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.51 ₡1,128

92.83%

Eggs

$3.93 $3.93

$3.53 ₡1,585

11.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.70 $6.70

$10.54 ₡4,738

-36.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.33 $7.33

$10.57 ₡4,754

-30.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$13.92 ₡6,261

37.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$5.20 ₡2,338

-5.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.65 ₡740

-10.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$4.89 ₡2,198

-64.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.84 ₡1,728

-42.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 $0.56

$3.91 ₡1,757

-85.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$3.76 ₡1,692

-42.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.12 ₡504

58.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.22 ₡1,447

-52.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.08 $8.08

$6.02 ₡2,706

34.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.64 $9.64

$19.84 ₡8,919

-51.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.81 ₡1,264

-30.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.65 ₡1,643

-39.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.26 ₡1,018

115.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 $0.65

$1.78 ₡799

-63.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.20 $10.20

$7.90 ₡3,551

29.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.50 ₡673

-27.33%

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

$32.6K $32.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-2.74%

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

$24.2K $24.2K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-42.84%

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

$137 $137

$93.2 ₡41.9K

47.27%

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

$24.89 $24.89

$36.13 ₡16.2K

-31.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$60.6 ₡27.2K

15.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 $10.44

$7.67 ₡3,449

36.11%

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

$1,992 $1,992

$972 ₡436.9K

104.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K $17.4K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-7.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 $64.9

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-8.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 $43.27

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-23.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$129 ₡57.8K

-18.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$131 ₡58.8K

11.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 $1,037

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-11.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$881 $881

$943 ₡424.1K

-6.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 $1,809

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-8.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,619 $1,619

$1,400 ₡629.5K

15.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,308 $2,308

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-13.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,251 $2,251

$2,037 ₡915.8K

10.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,924 $3,924

$987 ₡443.6K

297.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

8.62

-27.49%

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

Last update for Butte, MT: 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

Butte, MT

$881 47.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 7.1% $62

Groceries & Markets

Butte, MT

$302 16.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 33.3% $101

Eating Out

Butte, MT

$242 13.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 3.9% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butte, MT

$232 12.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 18.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Butte, MT

$161 8.7%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 8.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Butte, MT

$21 * 1.1%

San Jose

$84 4% 304% $63

Getting Around

Butte, MT

$8.1 * 0.4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 894% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,037 in Butte, 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 Butte, MT are about 4 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Butte, MT versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $403 – making Butte, MT the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Butte, MT

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

02:49 2:49 AM

1 h ahead of Butte, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000

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

Butte, MT San Jose 4,830 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Butte, 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

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

San Jose costs about 14% more than Butte, MT, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,770 per month in Butte, 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 Butte, MT, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,037 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Butte, 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 33% more in San Jose, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,847 in Butte, MT to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.