Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jacksonville, NC and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,485 in Jacksonville, NC, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Jacksonville, NC
Learn more

Jacksonville, NC Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Jacksonville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,485

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,485 in Jacksonville, NC versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Jacksonville, NC $2,485
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,547 in Jacksonville, NC versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Jacksonville, NC $3,547
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,610 in Jacksonville, NC versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Jacksonville, NC $4,610
San Jose $4,054

Living in Jacksonville, NC is roughly 18% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jacksonville, NC 84% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.76 $15.76

$12.37 ₡5,563

27.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.2 $64.2

$62.4 ₡28.0K

2.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$11.71 ₡5,264

-13.92%

Cappuccino

$4.63 $4.63

$4.54 ₡2,040

1.98%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$2.75 ₡1,238

-7.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.86 ₡837

4.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.35 ₡1,505

49.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$4.32 ₡1,944

66.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.36 ₡1,061

-52.54%

White Bread (500g)

$4.30 $4.30

$3.07 ₡1,379

40.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$11.32 $11.32

$2.51 ₡1,128

351.00%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$3.53 ₡1,585

67.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$10.54 ₡4,738

80.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.92 $16.92

$10.57 ₡4,754

60.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.75 $23.75

$13.92 ₡6,261

70.62%

Apples (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$5.20 ₡2,338

13.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.65 ₡740

6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.35 $8.35

$4.89 ₡2,198

70.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$3.84 ₡1,728

62.24%

Potato (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$3.91 ₡1,757

73.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.76 ₡1,692

5.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.12 ₡504

136.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$3.22 ₡1,447

-36.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.89 $8.89

$6.02 ₡2,706

47.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.30 $15.30

$19.84 ₡8,919

-22.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.81 ₡1,264

-39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 $3.83

$3.65 ₡1,643

4.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.08 ₡487

39.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.1 $90.1

$65.2 ₡29.3K

38.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.26 ₡1,018

55.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.78 ₡799

-11.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.50 ₡673

-36.00%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-20.38%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.42%

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

$120 $120

$93.2 ₡41.9K

28.79%

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

$76.1 $76.1

$36.13 ₡16.2K

110.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$60.6 ₡27.2K

15.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.19 $31.19

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-54.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.72 $1.72

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-93.10%

Cinema Ticket

$15.54 $15.54

$7.67 ₡3,449

102.61%

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

$799 $799

$972 ₡436.9K

-17.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,296 $7,296

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-61.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 $60.2

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-14.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.88 $39.88

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-29.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$129 ₡57.8K

-18.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$131 ₡58.8K

5.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 $1,337

$1,170 ₡525.9K

14.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 $1,075

$943 ₡424.1K

13.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 $1,871

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-5.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 $1,446

$1,400 ₡629.5K

3.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,047 $2,047

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-23.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,820 $1,820

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-10.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,238 $2,238

$987 ₡443.6K

126.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

8.62

-26.10%

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

Last update for Jacksonville, NC: 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

Jacksonville, NC

$1.1K 43.3%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 12.3% $132

Groceries & Markets

Jacksonville, NC

$551 22.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 26.9% $148

Eating Out

Jacksonville, NC

$269 10.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 13.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jacksonville, NC

$266 10.7%

San Jose

$190 9% 28.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Jacksonville, NC

$154 6.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 12.9% $20

Getting Around

Jacksonville, NC

$108 4.3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 24.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Jacksonville, NC

$62 2.5%

San Jose

$84 4% 35.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,337 in Jacksonville, NC and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jacksonville, NC pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in Jacksonville, NC vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $551 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jacksonville, NC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

05:38 5:38 AM

1 h behind Jacksonville, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

949,611

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jacksonville, NC San Jose 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Jacksonville, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,485 in Jacksonville, NC and $2,107 in San Jose, so San Jose is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Jacksonville, NC is about 2.3 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: $1,337 in Jacksonville, NC versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 28% less than in Jacksonville, NC. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $799 in Jacksonville, NC versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Jacksonville, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.