Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elizabeth City, NC and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,532 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Elizabeth City, NC outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

120

Cost of Living Index in Elizabeth City, NC
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Elizabeth City, NC Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Elizabeth City, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,532

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,532 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Elizabeth City, NC $2,532
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,598 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Elizabeth City, NC $3,598
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,665 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Elizabeth City, NC $4,665
San Jose $4,054

Elizabeth City, NC costs about 20% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Elizabeth City, NC and San Jose sit above the global median – Elizabeth City, NC by 87%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 $11.96

$12.37 ₡5,563

-3.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.25 $35.25

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-43.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 $11.42

$11.71 ₡5,264

-2.48%

Cappuccino

$5.74 $5.74

$4.54 ₡2,040

26.43%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$2.75 ₡1,238

-9.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.86 ₡837

9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$3.35 ₡1,505

77.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 $6.82

$4.32 ₡1,944

57.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$2.36 ₡1,061

-60.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$3.07 ₡1,379

19.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.51 ₡1,128

24.70%

Eggs

$4.58 $4.58

$3.53 ₡1,585

29.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.07 $11.07

$10.54 ₡4,738

5.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.80 $9.80

$10.57 ₡4,754

-7.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$13.92 ₡6,261

26.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$5.20 ₡2,338

-16.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.65 ₡740

-24.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$4.89 ₡2,198

-11.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$3.84 ₡1,728

11.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$3.91 ₡1,757

-45.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$3.76 ₡1,692

-42.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.12 ₡504

82.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.22 ₡1,447

-31.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.96 $8.96

$6.02 ₡2,706

48.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.03 $15.03

$19.84 ₡8,919

-24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.81 ₡1,264

-24.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.65 ₡1,643

-23.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.08 ₡487

71.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.0 $63.0

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-3.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.26 ₡1,018

36.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.78 ₡799

6.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.83 $17.83

$7.90 ₡3,551

125.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.50 ₡673

-38.67%

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

$31.1K $31.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-6.96%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.34%

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

$187 $187

$93.2 ₡41.9K

100.63%

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

$58.2 $58.2

$36.13 ₡16.2K

61.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 $60.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-0.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 $41.86

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-39.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$15.01 $15.01

$7.67 ₡3,449

95.70%

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

$1,304 $1,304

$972 ₡436.9K

34.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

31.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 $54.4

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-22.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.69 $40.69

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-28.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 $88.8

$129 ₡57.8K

-30.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$131 ₡58.8K

7.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 $1,602

$1,170 ₡525.9K

36.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 $1,293

$943 ₡424.1K

37.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,586 $2,586

$1,984 ₡892.0K

30.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,125 $2,125

$1,400 ₡629.5K

51.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,461 $2,461

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-8.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,209 $2,209

$2,037 ₡915.8K

8.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

8.62

-21.46%

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

Last update for Elizabeth City, NC: 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

Elizabeth City, NC

$1.3K 51.1%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 27.1% $350

Groceries & Markets

Elizabeth City, NC

$371 14.7%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 8.4% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elizabeth City, NC

$305 12.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 37.8% $116

Eating Out

Elizabeth City, NC

$260 10.3%

San Jose

$232 11% 10.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Elizabeth City, NC

$146 5.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 19.1% $28

Getting Around

Elizabeth City, NC

$83 3.3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 2.8% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Elizabeth City, NC

$72 2.8%

San Jose

$84 4% 17.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,602 in Elizabeth City, NC 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 $35 in Elizabeth City, NC versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $371 vs $403 – making Elizabeth City, NC the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elizabeth City, NC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

17:12 5:12 PM

1 h behind Elizabeth City, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,683

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elizabeth City, NC San Jose 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Elizabeth City, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,532 in Elizabeth City, NC, $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose comes out roughly 17% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,797 per month in Elizabeth City, NC 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 $1,602 in Elizabeth City, NC.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Elizabeth City, NC and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,532 in Elizabeth City, NC and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 17% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Elizabeth City, NC at $2,532. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Elizabeth City, NC 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.