Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eliot, ME and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,796 in Eliot, ME, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Eliot, ME
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Eliot, ME Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Eliot, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,796

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,796 per month in Eliot, ME vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Eliot, ME $2,796
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,003 per month in Eliot, ME vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Eliot, ME $4,003
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,211 per month in Eliot, ME vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Eliot, ME $5,211
San Jose $4,054

Eliot, ME costs about 33% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Eliot, ME and San Jose sit above the global median – Eliot, ME by 107%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 $17.65

$12.37 ₡5,563

42.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 $50.1

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-19.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 $8.75

$11.71 ₡5,264

-25.28%

Cappuccino

$4.91 $4.91

$4.54 ₡2,040

8.15%

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

$1.95 $1.95

$2.75 ₡1,238

-29.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.86 ₡837

-18.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.07 $8.07

$3.35 ₡1,505

140.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$4.32 ₡1,944

89.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.36 ₡1,061

-51.69%

White Bread (500g)

$4.41 $4.41

$3.07 ₡1,379

43.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.86 $6.86

$2.51 ₡1,128

173.31%

Eggs

$5.55 $5.55

$3.53 ₡1,585

57.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.47 $15.47

$10.54 ₡4,738

46.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.47 $14.47

$10.57 ₡4,754

36.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.67 $19.67

$13.92 ₡6,261

41.31%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 $7.42

$5.20 ₡2,338

42.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.65 ₡740

21.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$4.89 ₡2,198

13.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.43 $7.43

$3.84 ₡1,728

93.49%

Potato (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$3.91 ₡1,757

11.25%

Onion (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.76 ₡1,692

8.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.12 ₡504

164.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.22 ₡1,447

-8.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.37 $13.37

$6.02 ₡2,706

122.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.74 $15.74

$19.84 ₡8,919

-20.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.81 ₡1,264

6.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 $4.42

$3.65 ₡1,643

21.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.08 ₡487

79.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.0 $68.0

$65.2 ₡29.3K

4.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.26 ₡1,018

17.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.78 ₡799

0.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.87 $27.87

$7.90 ₡3,551

252.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.50 ₡673

-23.33%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-9.54%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.66%

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

$236 $236

$93.2 ₡41.9K

153.44%

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

$45.41 $45.41

$36.13 ₡16.2K

25.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.9 $75.9

$60.6 ₡27.2K

25.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 $40.35

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-41.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$16.08 $16.08

$7.67 ₡3,449

109.65%

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

$2,638 $2,638

$972 ₡436.9K

171.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K $20.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

10.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.0 $75.0

$70.6 ₡31.8K

6.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 $50.1

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-11.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$129 ₡57.8K

-11.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 $153

$131 ₡58.8K

17.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 $1,587

$1,170 ₡525.9K

35.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 $1,290

$943 ₡424.1K

36.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 $2,576

$1,984 ₡892.0K

29.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,065 $2,065

$1,400 ₡629.5K

47.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,976 $2,976

$2,681 ₡1.2M

10.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,545 $2,545

$2,037 ₡915.8K

24.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

8.62

-20.53%

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

Last update for Eliot, ME: 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

Eliot, ME

$1.3K 46.2%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 26.9% $347

Groceries & Markets

Eliot, ME

$515 18.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 21.8% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eliot, ME

$357 12.8%

San Jose

$190 9% 46.9% $168

Eating Out

Eliot, ME

$297 10.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 21.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Eliot, ME

$176 6.3%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 1.2% $2.2

Getting Around

Eliot, ME

$87 3.1%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 7.5% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Eliot, ME

$73 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 16.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,587 in Eliot, ME versus $1,170 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Eliot, ME versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $515 in Eliot, ME vs $403 in San Jose – so San Jose wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Eliot, ME

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

09:07 9:07 AM

1 h behind Eliot, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,700

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

Eliot, ME San Jose 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Eliot, ME
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

Eliot, ME vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Eliot, ME costs about 33% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,194 per month in Eliot, ME and $3,161 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,587 in Eliot, ME.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Eliot, ME, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Eliot, ME and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Eliot, ME at $2,796. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Eliot, ME it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.