Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Crookston, MN and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,650 in Crookston, MN, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Crookston, MN
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Crookston, MN Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Crookston, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,650

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,650 per month in Crookston, MN vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Crookston, MN $2,650
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,908 per month in Crookston, MN vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Crookston, MN $3,908
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $5,165 per month in Crookston, MN vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Crookston, MN $5,165
San Jose $3,929

Crookston, MN costs about 38% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Crookston, MN and San Jose sit above the global median – Crookston, MN by 96%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.28 $22.28

$12.29 ₡5,513

81.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.6 $76.6

$62.3 ₡27.9K

22.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 $10.17

$11.53 ₡5,171

-11.80%

Cappuccino

$5.16 $5.16

$4.35 ₡1,953

18.62%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$2.64 ₡1,183

-6.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.86 ₡836

4.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.01 $6.01

$3.32 ₡1,490

81.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.73 $7.73

$4.52 ₡2,026

71.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.39 ₡1,073

-55.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.08 ₡1,381

13.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.50 ₡1,119

76.00%

Eggs

$4.24 $4.24

$3.48 ₡1,562

21.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 $12.57

$10.74 ₡4,815

17.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.63 $11.63

$10.32 ₡4,629

12.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.76 $16.76

$14.10 ₡6,325

18.87%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$5.03 ₡2,256

0.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.59 ₡714

2.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$4.84 ₡2,171

-12.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.96 ₡1,776

16.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.76 ₡1,684

-27.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.73 ₡1,674

-21.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.08 ₡485

103.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.25 ₡1,456

-30.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.46 $9.46

$5.86 ₡2,627

61.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 $15.06

$20.28 ₡9,095

-25.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.90 ₡1,300

-31.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.73 ₡1,673

-8.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.08 ₡486

80.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.8 $86.8

$65.5 ₡29.4K

32.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.50 ₡1,123

36.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.63 ₡732

17.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.68 $27.68

$8.71 ₡3,904

217.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.58 ₡709

-36.08%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-17.12%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-36.91%

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

$202 $202

$93.7 ₡42.0K

115.46%

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

$57.8 $57.8

$35.42 ₡15.9K

63.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$60.0 ₡26.9K

15.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.43 $41.43

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-42.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$13.93 $13.93

$7.74 ₡3,471

79.97%

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

$1,398 $1,398

$1,005 ₡450.9K

39.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

40.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 $53.4

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-26.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.67 $40.67

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-26.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 $88.1

$128 ₡57.5K

-31.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$130 ₡58.5K

-13.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 $1,591

$932 ₡418.0K

70.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 $1,279

$760 ₡340.8K

68.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,530 $2,530

$1,922 ₡862.0K

31.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,150 $2,150

$1,276 ₡572.1K

68.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,697 $2,697

$2,301 ₡1.0M

17.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,377 $2,377

$1,833 ₡821.9K

29.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,552 $3,552

$1,029 ₡461.3K

245.32%

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 Crookston, MN: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Crookston, MN

$1.3K 48.3%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 40.6% $519

Groceries & Markets

Crookston, MN

$398 15%

San Jose

$403 21% 1.2% $4.8

Eating Out

Crookston, MN

$334 12.6%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 31.5% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Crookston, MN

$329 12.4%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 42.5% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Crookston, MN

$133 5%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 31.3% $42

Getting Around

Crookston, MN

$108 4.1%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 25.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Crookston, MN

$69 2.6%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 27.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,591 in Crookston, MN versus $932 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 run about 245% higher in Crookston, MN, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Crookston, MN versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $398 in Crookston, MN vs $403 in San Jose – so Crookston, MN wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Crookston, MN

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

15:14 3:14 PM

1 h behind Crookston, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

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

Crookston, MN San Jose 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Crookston, MN
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

Crookston, MN vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Crookston, MN costs about 38% 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 $3,974 per month in Crookston, MN and $2,886 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 33% less in San Jose. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,398 per month in Crookston, MN and $1,005 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 $1,924, than in Crookston, MN at $2,650. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Crookston, MN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $1,924 versus $2,650 in Crookston, MN. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Crookston, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.