Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton, MT and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,220 in Hamilton, MT, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Hamilton, MT despite lower rent and utilities.

106

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton, MT
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Hamilton, MT Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Hamilton, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,220

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,220 per month in Hamilton, MT vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Hamilton, MT $2,220
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,644 per month in Hamilton, MT vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Hamilton, MT $3,644
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,068 per month in Hamilton, MT vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Hamilton, MT $5,068
San Jose $4,054

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$37.54 $37.54

$12.37 ₡5,563

203.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 $69.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

10.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 $11.34

$11.71 ₡5,264

-3.16%

Cappuccino

$5.25 $5.25

$4.54 ₡2,040

15.64%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$2.75 ₡1,238

-1.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.86 ₡837

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.35 ₡1,505

82.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 $7.06

$4.32 ₡1,944

63.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.36 ₡1,061

-58.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.07 ₡1,379

13.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.51 ₡1,128

81.67%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$3.53 ₡1,585

18.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 $12.30

$10.54 ₡4,738

16.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.43 $12.43

$10.57 ₡4,754

17.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.15 $19.15

$13.92 ₡6,261

37.57%

Apples (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$5.20 ₡2,338

14.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.65 ₡740

-21.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$4.89 ₡2,198

-21.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.84 ₡1,728

20.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.91 ₡1,757

-29.16%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$3.76 ₡1,692

-9.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.12 ₡504

87.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$3.22 ₡1,447

-32.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.94 $10.94

$6.02 ₡2,706

81.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 $15.18

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.81 ₡1,264

-24.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.65 ₡1,643

-3.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.08 ₡487

87.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.3 $62.3

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-4.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.26 ₡1,018

38.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.78 ₡799

2.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.18 $32.18

$7.90 ₡3,551

307.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.50 ₡673

-31.33%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-11.68%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.14%

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

$202 $202

$93.2 ₡41.9K

116.60%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$36.13 ₡16.2K

63.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.5 $89.5

$60.6 ₡27.2K

47.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.28 $40.28

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-41.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.00 $13.00

$7.67 ₡3,449

69.49%

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

$1,307 $1,307

$972 ₡436.9K

34.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K $22.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

20.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 $53.0

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-24.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.47 $47.47

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-16.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 $88.2

$129 ₡57.8K

-31.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$131 ₡58.8K

-12.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 $1,172

$1,170 ₡525.9K

0.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 $713

$943 ₡424.1K

-24.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,379 $2,379

$1,984 ₡892.0K

19.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 $1,802

$1,400 ₡629.5K

28.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,261 $2,261

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-15.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,356 $2,356

$2,037 ₡915.8K

15.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,528 $3,528

$987 ₡443.6K

257.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.29

8.62

-15.43%

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

Last update for Hamilton, MT: 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

Hamilton, MT

$713 32.1%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 32.2% $230

Eating Out

Hamilton, MT

$461 20.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 49.6% $228

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton, MT

$410 18.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 1.8% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton, MT

$350 15.8%

San Jose

$190 9% 45.8% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton, MT

$137 6.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 27.4% $37

Getting Around

Hamilton, MT

$83 3.7%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 2.4% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton, MT

$66 3%

San Jose

$84 4% 27.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,172 in Hamilton, 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 Hamilton, MT are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Hamilton, MT versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $410 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hamilton, MT

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

18:03 6:03 PM

1 h ahead of Hamilton, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,447

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 = 0.891 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

Hamilton, MT San Jose 4,940 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,220 in Hamilton, MT, $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,330 per month in Hamilton, MT and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,172 in Hamilton, MT and $1,170 in San Jose. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,220 in Hamilton, MT and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 5% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,307 per month in Hamilton, MT and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,220 in Hamilton, 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 $2,220 in Hamilton, 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, Hamilton, MT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.