Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Carteret, NC and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,572 in Cape Carteret, NC, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Cape Carteret, NC
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Cape Carteret, NC Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Cape Carteret, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,572

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,572 per month in Cape Carteret, NC vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Cape Carteret, NC $2,572
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,754 per month in Cape Carteret, NC vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Cape Carteret, NC $3,754
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,935 per month in Cape Carteret, NC vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Cape Carteret, NC $4,935
San Jose $4,054

Cape Carteret, NC costs about 22% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Carteret, NC and San Jose sit above the global median – Cape Carteret, NC by 90%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.99 $17.99

$12.37 ₡5,563

45.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 $88.5

$62.4 ₡28.0K

41.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 $12.16

$11.71 ₡5,264

3.84%

Cappuccino

$5.96 $5.96

$4.54 ₡2,040

31.28%

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

$2.80 $2.80

$2.75 ₡1,238

1.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.86 ₡837

15.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.35 ₡1,505

76.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$4.32 ₡1,944

61.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.36 ₡1,061

-58.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.07 ₡1,379

2.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$2.51 ₡1,128

120.32%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$3.53 ₡1,585

34.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.44 $10.44

$10.54 ₡4,738

-0.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 $9.59

$10.57 ₡4,754

-9.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.56 $18.56

$13.92 ₡6,261

33.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$5.20 ₡2,338

-50.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.65 ₡740

-2.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$4.89 ₡2,198

6.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$3.84 ₡1,728

55.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.91 ₡1,757

-42.20%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.76 ₡1,692

16.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.12 ₡504

138.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$3.22 ₡1,447

-27.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.72 $9.72

$6.02 ₡2,706

61.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.94 $11.94

$19.84 ₡8,919

-39.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.81 ₡1,264

-37.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.65 ₡1,643

-39.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.08 ₡487

68.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 $52.9

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-18.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.01 $6.01

$2.26 ₡1,018

165.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.78 ₡799

-14.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.74 $19.74

$7.90 ₡3,551

149.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.50 ₡673

-33.33%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-17.13%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.78%

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

$209 $209

$93.2 ₡41.9K

124.22%

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

$61.1 $61.1

$36.13 ₡16.2K

69.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.5 $66.5

$60.6 ₡27.2K

9.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.76 $38.76

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-43.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$9.53 $9.53

$7.67 ₡3,449

24.25%

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

$1,609 $1,609

$972 ₡436.9K

65.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

25.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 $61.5

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-12.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.25 $48.25

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-14.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$129 ₡57.8K

-9.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$131 ₡58.8K

-15.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 $1,630

$1,170 ₡525.9K

39.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 $1,256

$943 ₡424.1K

33.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,450 $2,450

$1,984 ₡892.0K

23.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,978 $1,978

$1,400 ₡629.5K

41.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,146 $3,146

$2,681 ₡1.2M

17.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,277 $2,277

$2,037 ₡915.8K

11.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

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 Cape Carteret, 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

Cape Carteret, NC

$1.3K 48.8%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 24.9% $313

Groceries & Markets

Cape Carteret, NC

$382 14.8%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 5.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Carteret, NC

$337 13.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 43.6% $147

Eating Out

Cape Carteret, NC

$315 12.3%

San Jose

$232 11% 26.3% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Carteret, NC

$152 5.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 14.6% $22

Getting Around

Cape Carteret, NC

$74 2.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 9.4% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Carteret, NC

$58 2.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 45.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,630 in Cape Carteret, 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 $89 in Cape Carteret, NC versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Cape Carteret, NC vs $403 in San Jose – so Cape Carteret, NC wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cape Carteret, NC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:25 6:25 PM

17:25 5:25 PM

1 h behind Cape Carteret, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,000

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Carteret, NC San Jose 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Carteret, 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

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

Yes – Cape Carteret, NC is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,859 per month in Cape Carteret, 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 $1,630 in Cape Carteret, NC.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Cape Carteret, NC and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,572 in Cape Carteret, NC and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 18% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Cape Carteret, NC at $2,572. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Carteret, 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.