Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dickinson, ND and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,616 in Dickinson, ND, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Dickinson, ND
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Dickinson, ND Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Dickinson, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,616

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,616 in Dickinson, ND versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Dickinson, ND $2,616
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,852 in Dickinson, ND versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Dickinson, ND $3,852
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,089 in Dickinson, ND versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Dickinson, ND $5,089
San Jose $4,054

Living in Dickinson, ND is roughly 24% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dickinson, ND 93% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.78 $19.78

$12.37 ₡5,563

59.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.8 $80.8

$62.4 ₡28.0K

29.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.49 $12.49

$11.71 ₡5,264

6.66%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$4.54 ₡2,040

18.94%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$2.75 ₡1,238

10.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.86 ₡837

22.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 $6.61

$3.35 ₡1,505

97.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.58 $7.58

$4.32 ₡1,944

75.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.36 ₡1,061

-55.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.07 ₡1,379

13.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.51 ₡1,128

13.94%

Eggs

$4.21 $4.21

$3.53 ₡1,585

19.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.66 $12.66

$10.54 ₡4,738

20.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 $11.77

$10.57 ₡4,754

11.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 $17.21

$13.92 ₡6,261

23.64%

Apples (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$5.20 ₡2,338

0.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.65 ₡740

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 $2.43

$4.89 ₡2,198

-50.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$3.84 ₡1,728

21.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.91 ₡1,757

-29.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.76 ₡1,692

-22.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.12 ₡504

97.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$3.22 ₡1,447

-31.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.41 $9.41

$6.02 ₡2,706

56.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.80 $14.80

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.81 ₡1,264

-28.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$3.65 ₡1,643

-4.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.08 ₡487

62.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 $60.7

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-6.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.26 ₡1,018

51.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.78 ₡799

3.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.58 $33.58

$7.90 ₡3,551

325.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.50 ₡673

-24.00%

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

$32.0K $32.0K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-4.29%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.31%

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

$219 $219

$93.2 ₡41.9K

134.53%

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

$54.7 $54.7

$36.13 ₡16.2K

51.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 $67.5

$60.6 ₡27.2K

11.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 $44.41

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-35.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.20 $14.20

$7.67 ₡3,449

85.14%

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

$1,339 $1,339

$972 ₡436.9K

37.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

12.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-25.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.18 $36.18

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-36.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 $82.6

$129 ₡57.8K

-35.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$131 ₡58.8K

-7.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 $917

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-21.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,273 $1,273

$943 ₡424.1K

34.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,551 $2,551

$1,984 ₡892.0K

28.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,135 $2,135

$1,400 ₡629.5K

52.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,567 $1,567

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-41.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,593 $1,593

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-21.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.62

-23.55%

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

Last update for Dickinson, ND: 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

Dickinson, ND

$1.3K 48.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 25.9% $330

Groceries & Markets

Dickinson, ND

$387 14.8%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dickinson, ND

$341 13%

San Jose

$190 9% 44.3% $151

Eating Out

Dickinson, ND

$330 12.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 29.6% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Dickinson, ND

$132 5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 32.3% $43

Getting Around

Dickinson, ND

$80 3.1%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 0.5% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Dickinson, ND

$73 2.8%

San Jose

$84 4% 15.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $917 in Dickinson, ND and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $81 in Dickinson, ND vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $387 vs $403, with Dickinson, ND cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dickinson, ND

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

23:51 11:51 PM

00:51 12:51 AM

1 h ahead of Dickinson, ND

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,636

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 = 0.891 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

Dickinson, ND San Jose 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dickinson, ND
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

Dickinson, ND vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,923 in Dickinson, ND and $3,161 in San Jose to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $917 in Dickinson, ND versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Dickinson, ND pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $81 in Dickinson, ND. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,616 in Dickinson, ND, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Dickinson, ND. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.