Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dover, NH and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,490 in Dover, NH, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Dover, NH
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Dover, NH Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Dover, NH

🇺🇸 United States

$3,490

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,490 in Dover, NH versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Dover, NH $3,490
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,135 in Dover, NH versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Dover, NH $5,135
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,780 in Dover, NH versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Dover, NH $6,780
San Jose $4,054

Living in Dover, NH is roughly 66% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dover, NH 158% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.61 $16.61

$12.37 ₡5,563

34.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.8 $92.8

$62.4 ₡28.0K

48.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.15 $13.15

$11.71 ₡5,264

12.30%

Cappuccino

$5.37 $5.37

$4.54 ₡2,040

18.28%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$2.75 ₡1,238

-7.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.86 ₡837

-17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.35 ₡1,505

47.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$4.32 ₡1,944

89.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.36 ₡1,061

-55.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.84 $3.84

$3.07 ₡1,379

25.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$2.51 ₡1,128

116.73%

Eggs

$4.86 $4.86

$3.53 ₡1,585

37.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.20 $11.20

$10.54 ₡4,738

6.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.55 $14.55

$10.57 ₡4,754

37.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.91 $17.91

$13.92 ₡6,261

28.66%

Apples (1kg)

$6.70 $6.70

$5.20 ₡2,338

28.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.65 ₡740

4.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.85 $6.85

$4.89 ₡2,198

40.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$3.84 ₡1,728

47.14%

Potato (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$3.91 ₡1,757

66.24%

Onion (1kg)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.76 ₡1,692

55.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.12 ₡504

114.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$4.05 $4.05

$3.22 ₡1,447

25.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 $13.71

$6.02 ₡2,706

127.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.24 $14.24

$19.84 ₡8,919

-28.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.81 ₡1,264

-24.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$3.65 ₡1,643

4.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.08 ₡487

64.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 $79.1

$65.2 ₡29.3K

21.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.26 ₡1,018

72.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.78 ₡799

43.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.37 $39.37

$7.90 ₡3,551

398.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.50 ₡673

-41.33%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-18.60%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.62%

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

$323 $323

$93.2 ₡41.9K

246.41%

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

$101 $101

$36.13 ₡16.2K

178.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$140 $140

$60.6 ₡27.2K

130.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 $71.1

$68.9 ₡31.0K

3.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.60 $30.60

$24.94 ₡11.2K

22.69%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 $12.05

$7.67 ₡3,449

57.11%

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

$1,836 $1,836

$972 ₡436.9K

88.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K $20.1K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

6.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 $56.8

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-19.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.86 $37.86

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-33.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.5 $78.5

$129 ₡57.8K

-38.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$131 ₡58.8K

-23.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,104 $2,104

$1,170 ₡525.9K

79.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,826 $1,826

$943 ₡424.1K

93.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,030 $4,030

$1,984 ₡892.0K

103.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,240 $3,240

$1,400 ₡629.5K

131.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,761 $3,761

$987 ₡443.6K

281.22%

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 Dover, NH: 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

Dover, NH

$1.8K 52.3%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 48.3% $883

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dover, NH

$563 16.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 66.3% $373

Groceries & Markets

Dover, NH

$486 13.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 17.1% $83

Eating Out

Dover, NH

$294 8.4%

San Jose

$232 11% 21% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Dover, NH

$123 3.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 41.3% $51

Getting Around

Dover, NH

$103 3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 21.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Dover, NH

$95 2.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 11.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,104 in Dover, NH and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dover, NH pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $93 in Dover, NH vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $486 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dover, NH

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

1 h behind Dover, NH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,735

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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Highest

Between locations

Dover, NH San Jose 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dover, NH
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

Dover, NH vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Dover, NH is about 3.8 times higher, 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: $2,104 in Dover, NH versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,836 in Dover, NH versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Dover, NH. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,490 in Dover, NH, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Dover, NH. 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Dover, NH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.