Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabot, AR and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,048 in Cabot, AR, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cabot, AR outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Cabot, AR
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Cabot, AR Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Cabot, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,048

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,048 in Cabot, AR versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Cabot, AR $2,048
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,118 in Cabot, AR versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Cabot, AR $3,118
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Cabot, AR versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Cabot, AR $4,187
San Jose $3,929

Living in Cabot, AR is roughly 6% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cabot, AR 51% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.61 $12.61

$12.29 ₡5,513

2.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.7 $75.7

$62.3 ₡27.9K

21.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.57 $12.57

$11.53 ₡5,171

9.02%

Cappuccino

$6.09 $6.09

$4.35 ₡1,953

40.00%

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

$2.32 $2.32

$2.64 ₡1,183

-12.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.86 ₡836

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.07 $6.07

$3.32 ₡1,490

82.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 $7.20

$4.52 ₡2,026

59.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.39 ₡1,073

-59.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.08 ₡1,381

17.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.50 ₡1,119

77.60%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$3.48 ₡1,562

22.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 $12.49

$10.74 ₡4,815

16.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 $11.62

$10.32 ₡4,629

12.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.29 $17.29

$14.10 ₡6,325

22.62%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$5.03 ₡2,256

0.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.59 ₡714

3.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$4.84 ₡2,171

-12.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.96 ₡1,776

15.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.76 ₡1,684

-27.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$3.73 ₡1,674

-19.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.08 ₡485

97.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$3.25 ₡1,456

-32.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.98 $9.98

$5.86 ₡2,627

70.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.04 $13.04

$20.28 ₡9,095

-35.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.90 ₡1,300

-24.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.73 ₡1,673

-3.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.08 ₡486

104.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.50 ₡1,123

31.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.63 ₡732

9.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.82 $26.82

$8.71 ₡3,904

207.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.58 ₡709

-43.67%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-12.29%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-36.59%

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

$199 $199

$93.7 ₡42.0K

112.06%

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

$58.7 $58.7

$35.42 ₡15.9K

65.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 $70.4

$60.0 ₡26.9K

17.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.95 $41.95

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-42.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$14.16 $14.16

$7.74 ₡3,471

82.95%

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

$1,553 $1,553

$1,005 ₡450.9K

54.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K $21.2K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

25.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 $53.6

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-26.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.42 $40.42

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-27.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 $87.2

$128 ₡57.5K

-32.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$130 ₡58.5K

-12.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 $1,107

$932 ₡418.0K

18.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 $826

$760 ₡340.8K

8.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,995 $1,995

$1,922 ₡862.0K

3.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 $1,488

$1,276 ₡572.1K

16.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,705 $2,705

$2,301 ₡1.0M

17.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,369 $2,369

$1,833 ₡821.9K

29.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,005 $3,005

$1,029 ₡461.3K

192.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Cabot, AR: October 18, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cabot, AR

$826 40.3%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 8% $66

Groceries & Markets

Cabot, AR

$397 19.4%

San Jose

$403 21% 1.6% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabot, AR

$328 16%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 42.3% $139

Eating Out

Cabot, AR

$274 13.4%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 16.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Cabot, AR

$133 6.5%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 30.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Cabot, AR

$70 3.4%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 25.3% $18

Getting Around

Cabot, AR

$21 * 1%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 283% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Cabot, AR and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cabot, AR pays 192% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $76.0 in Cabot, AR vs $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $397 vs $403, with Cabot, AR cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cabot, AR

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

17:47 5:47 PM

1 h behind Cabot, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,776

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cabot, AR San Jose 2,900 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cabot, AR
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

Cabot, AR vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 192% higher in Cabot, AR, 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: $1,107 in Cabot, AR versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,553 in Cabot, AR versus $1,005 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 $62.0 versus $76.0 in Cabot, AR. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,048 in Cabot, AR, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Cabot, AR. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cabot, AR, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cabot, AR and San Jose are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Cabot, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.