Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durham, NC and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,581 in Durham, NC, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Durham, NC
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Durham, NC Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Durham, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,581

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,581 in Durham, NC versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Durham, NC $2,581
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,926 in Durham, NC versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Durham, NC $3,926
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,272 in Durham, NC versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Durham, NC $5,272
San Jose $4,054

Living in Durham, NC is roughly 22% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Durham, NC 91% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 $15.26

$12.37 ₡5,563

23.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 $106

$62.4 ₡28.0K

69.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 $9.87

$11.71 ₡5,264

-15.71%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$4.54 ₡2,040

7.71%

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

$3.19 $3.19

$2.75 ₡1,238

16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.86 ₡837

10.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.07 $6.07

$3.35 ₡1,505

81.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.32 ₡1,944

64.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.36 ₡1,061

-52.54%

White Bread (500g)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.07 ₡1,379

60.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$11.26 $11.26

$2.51 ₡1,128

348.61%

Eggs

$5.95 $5.95

$3.53 ₡1,585

68.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 $19.07

$10.54 ₡4,738

80.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.06 $17.06

$10.57 ₡4,754

61.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.97 $26.97

$13.92 ₡6,261

93.75%

Apples (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$5.20 ₡2,338

8.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.65 ₡740

12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.41 $8.41

$4.89 ₡2,198

71.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$3.84 ₡1,728

54.69%

Potato (1kg)

$6.94 $6.94

$3.91 ₡1,757

77.49%

Onion (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.76 ₡1,692

4.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.12 ₡504

135.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.22 ₡1,447

-36.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.80 $8.80

$6.02 ₡2,706

46.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.89 $14.89

$19.84 ₡8,919

-24.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.81 ₡1,264

-45.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.65 ₡1,643

8.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.26 ₡1,018

61.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.78 ₡799

-31.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.50 ₡673

-29.33%

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

$31.4K $31.4K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-6.16%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.31%

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

$228 $228

$93.2 ₡41.9K

144.95%

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

$75.6 $75.6

$36.13 ₡16.2K

109.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$60.6 ₡27.2K

16.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 $51.5

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-25.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.10 $14.10

$7.67 ₡3,449

83.83%

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

$1,619 $1,619

$972 ₡436.9K

66.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K $30.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

60.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 $59.8

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-15.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.46 $39.46

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-30.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$129 ₡57.8K

-21.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$131 ₡58.8K

5.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,526 $1,526

$1,170 ₡525.9K

30.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 $1,125

$943 ₡424.1K

19.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 $2,254

$1,984 ₡892.0K

13.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,918 $1,918

$1,400 ₡629.5K

36.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,533 $3,533

$2,681 ₡1.2M

31.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,485 $2,485

$2,037 ₡915.8K

22.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,538 $4,538

$987 ₡443.6K

359.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.62

-21.69%

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

Last update for Durham, 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

Durham, NC

$1.1K 43.6%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 16.1% $182

Groceries & Markets

Durham, NC

$564 21.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 28.7% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durham, NC

$374 14.5%

San Jose

$190 9% 49.3% $184

Eating Out

Durham, NC

$276 10.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 15.8% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Durham, NC

$152 5.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 14.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Durham, NC

$80 3.1%

San Jose

$84 4% 5.7% $4.6

Getting Around

Durham, NC

$9.8 * 0.4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 728% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,526 in Durham, NC and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham, NC pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $106 in Durham, NC vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $564 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Durham, NC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

01:52 1:52 AM

1 h behind Durham, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

283,506

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

Durham, NC San Jose 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Durham, 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

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

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Durham, NC. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Durham, NC is about 4.6 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: $1,526 in Durham, NC versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Durham, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,581 per month in Durham, NC versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,581 in Durham, NC, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Durham, NC. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Durham, NC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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