Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Duluth, GA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,667 in Duluth, GA, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Duluth, GA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

127

Cost of Living Index in Duluth, GA
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Duluth, GA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Duluth, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,667

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,667 in Duluth, GA versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Duluth, GA $2,667
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,724 in Duluth, GA versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Duluth, GA $3,724
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,781 in Duluth, GA versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Duluth, GA $4,781
San Jose $4,054

Living in Duluth, GA is roughly 27% 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: Duluth, GA 97% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.16 $18.16

$12.37 ₡5,563

46.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.4 $88.4

$62.4 ₡28.0K

41.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.09 $10.09

$11.71 ₡5,264

-13.83%

Cappuccino

$4.66 $4.66

$4.54 ₡2,040

2.64%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$2.75 ₡1,238

7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.86 ₡837

10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.79 $5.79

$3.35 ₡1,505

72.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 $7.29

$4.32 ₡1,944

68.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$2.36 ₡1,061

-60.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.82 $3.82

$3.07 ₡1,379

24.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.51 ₡1,128

91.24%

Eggs

$3.86 $3.86

$3.53 ₡1,585

9.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.07 $14.07

$10.54 ₡4,738

33.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.04 $9.04

$10.57 ₡4,754

-14.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.47 $19.47

$13.92 ₡6,261

39.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$5.20 ₡2,338

-15.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.65 ₡740

-5.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$4.89 ₡2,198

-16.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$3.84 ₡1,728

15.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.91 ₡1,757

-3.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$3.76 ₡1,692

0.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.12 ₡504

109.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$3.22 ₡1,447

-39.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.62 $8.62

$6.02 ₡2,706

43.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.80 $14.80

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.81 ₡1,264

-42.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.65 ₡1,643

-32.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.08 ₡487

139.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.26 ₡1,018

28.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.78 ₡799

-18.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.80 $17.80

$7.90 ₡3,551

125.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.50 ₡673

-35.33%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-22.29%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.88%

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

$148 $148

$93.2 ₡41.9K

58.83%

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

$53.8 $53.8

$36.13 ₡16.2K

48.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.1 $68.1

$60.6 ₡27.2K

12.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.87 $9.87

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-60.43%

Cinema Ticket

$17.09 $17.09

$7.67 ₡3,449

122.82%

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

$1,185 $1,185

$972 ₡436.9K

21.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K $17.2K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-8.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 $52.4

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-25.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.45 $35.45

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-37.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 $86.9

$129 ₡57.8K

-32.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$131 ₡58.8K

1.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 $1,517

$943 ₡424.1K

60.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 $2,293

$1,984 ₡892.0K

15.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 $2,087

$1,400 ₡629.5K

49.05%

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)

$4,206 $4,206

$987 ₡443.6K

326.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Duluth, GA: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Duluth, GA

$1.5K 56.9%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 37.8% $574

Groceries & Markets

Duluth, GA

$392 14.7%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 2.7% $11

Eating Out

Duluth, GA

$295 11.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 21.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Duluth, GA

$270 10.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 29.7% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Duluth, GA

$138 5.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 25.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Duluth, GA

$34 * 1.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 147% $50

Getting Around

Duluth, GA

$21 * 0.8%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 293% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

Duluth, GA pays about 4.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Duluth, GA vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $392 vs $403, with Duluth, GA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Duluth, GA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

02:53 2:53 AM

1 h behind Duluth, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,265

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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Between locations

Duluth, GA San Jose 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Duluth, GA
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

Duluth, GA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,667 in Duluth, GA and $2,107 in San Jose, so San Jose is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Duluth, GA is about 4.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,185 in Duluth, GA versus $972 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 versus $88 in Duluth, GA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,667 in Duluth, GA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Duluth, GA. 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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Duluth, GA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.