Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Great Falls, MT and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,223 in Great Falls, MT, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Great Falls, MT outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Great Falls, MT
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Great Falls, MT Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Great Falls, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,223

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Great Falls, MT vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Great Falls, MT $2,223
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,105 per month in Great Falls, MT vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Great Falls, MT $3,105
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $3,987 per month in Great Falls, MT vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Great Falls, MT $3,987
San Jose $4,054

Great Falls, MT costs about 5% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Great Falls, MT and San Jose sit above the global median – Great Falls, MT by 64%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.08 $15.08

$12.37 ₡5,563

21.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.24 $39.24

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-37.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.70 $9.70

$11.71 ₡5,264

-17.16%

Cappuccino

$4.38 $4.38

$4.54 ₡2,040

-3.52%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$2.75 ₡1,238

-10.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.86 ₡837

4.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$3.35 ₡1,505

78.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$4.32 ₡1,944

40.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.36 ₡1,061

-52.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.07 ₡1,379

8.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$2.51 ₡1,128

99.20%

Eggs

$3.27 $3.27

$3.53 ₡1,585

-7.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.62 $16.62

$10.54 ₡4,738

57.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.19 $10.19

$10.57 ₡4,754

-3.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.15 $12.15

$13.92 ₡6,261

-12.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$5.20 ₡2,338

-4.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.65 ₡740

-15.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$4.89 ₡2,198

-15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.84 ₡1,728

-42.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$3.91 ₡1,757

-38.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.76 ₡1,692

-22.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.12 ₡504

114.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.22 ₡1,447

1.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.47 $8.47

$6.02 ₡2,706

40.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.94 $17.94

$19.84 ₡8,919

-9.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.81 ₡1,264

-28.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$3.65 ₡1,643

21.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.78 $29.78

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-54.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 $6.16

$2.26 ₡1,018

172.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.78 ₡799

-24.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.70 $39.70

$7.90 ₡3,551

402.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.50 ₡673

-34.67%

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

$32.7K $32.7K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-2.24%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-43.04%

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

$131 $131

$93.2 ₡41.9K

40.43%

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

$39.45 $39.45

$36.13 ₡16.2K

9.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$60.6 ₡27.2K

12.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 $63.4

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-8.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$11.57 $11.57

$7.67 ₡3,449

50.85%

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

$927 $927

$972 ₡436.9K

-4.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-6.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.14 $25.14

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-64.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.60 $29.60

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-47.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.7 $80.7

$129 ₡57.8K

-37.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.4 $64.4

$131 ₡58.8K

-50.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 $1,420

$1,170 ₡525.9K

21.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 $1,111

$943 ₡424.1K

17.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,626 $2,626

$1,984 ₡892.0K

32.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 $1,655

$1,400 ₡629.5K

18.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,207 $2,207

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-17.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,205 $2,205

$2,037 ₡915.8K

8.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,555 $3,555

$987 ₡443.6K

260.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.2

8.62

-28.07%

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

Last update for Great Falls, MT: 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

Great Falls, MT

$1.1K 50%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 15.1% $168

Groceries & Markets

Great Falls, MT

$392 17.7%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 2.7% $10

Eating Out

Great Falls, MT

$262 11.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 11.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Great Falls, MT

$239 10.7%

San Jose

$190 9% 20.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Great Falls, MT

$90 4.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 93.5% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Great Falls, MT

$87 3.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 2.6% $2.3

Getting Around

Great Falls, MT

$43 * 1.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 89.1% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,420 in Great Falls, MT 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.

Salaries in Great Falls, MT are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Great Falls, MT versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $403 – making Great Falls, MT the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Great Falls, MT

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

12:04 12:04 PM

1 h ahead of Great Falls, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,442

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

Great Falls, MT San Jose 4,900 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Great Falls, MT
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

Great Falls, MT vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Great Falls, MT costs about 5% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,334 per month in Great Falls, MT 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 $1,420 in Great Falls, MT.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Great Falls, MT – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Great Falls, MT and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,223 in Great Falls, MT and $2,107 in San Jose, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,223 in Great Falls, MT. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Great Falls, MT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.