Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jamestown, ND and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,105 a month against $2,578 in Jamestown, ND, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Jamestown, ND
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Jamestown, ND Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Jamestown, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,578

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,578 in Jamestown, ND versus $2,105 in San Jose.

Jamestown, ND $2,578
San Jose $2,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,748 in Jamestown, ND versus $3,074 in San Jose.

Jamestown, ND $3,748
San Jose $3,074

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,919 in Jamestown, ND versus $4,043 in San Jose.

Jamestown, ND $4,919
San Jose $4,043

Living in Jamestown, ND is roughly 22% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jamestown, ND 89% above, San Jose 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.07 $22.07

$12.43 ₡5,609

77.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 $67.2

$60.9 ₡27.5K

10.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$11.72 ₡5,288

3.41%

Cappuccino

$5.25 $5.25

$4.47 ₡2,019

17.45%

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

$2.40 $2.40

$2.75 ₡1,241

-12.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.92 ₡867

13.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.25 $5.25

$3.26 ₡1,470

61.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.35 $7.35

$4.45 ₡2,009

65.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$2.36 ₡1,063

-65.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.09 ₡1,393

12.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.40 ₡1,083

77.92%

Eggs

$4.07 $4.07

$3.44 ₡1,553

18.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 $11.40

$10.73 ₡4,841

6.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 $10.24

$10.36 ₡4,674

-1.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.79 $16.79

$13.84 ₡6,243

21.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$5.15 ₡2,323

-4.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.65 ₡746

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$4.67 ₡2,109

2.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.98 ₡1,798

26.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.90 ₡1,761

-30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.65 ₡1,647

-10.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.08 ₡487

103.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$3.10 ₡1,398

-38.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.06 $9.06

$6.08 ₡2,745

49.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.91 $12.91

$20.05 ₡9,047

-35.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.77 ₡1,252

-29.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 $3.12

$3.69 ₡1,666

-15.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.12 ₡503

91.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.9 $61.9

$66.7 ₡30.1K

-7.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.49 ₡1,122

23.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.63 ₡735

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.20 $26.20

$8.47 ₡3,821

209.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.57 ₡708

-39.49%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-24.87%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-29.23%

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

$201 $201

$93.2 ₡42.0K

115.62%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$36.05 ₡16.3K

60.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.7 $68.7

$59.1 ₡26.7K

16.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.40 $36.40

$69.0 ₡31.1K

-47.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 $13.11

$7.85 ₡3,543

67.01%

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

$1,516 $1,516

$996 ₡449.4K

52.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.9K $25.9K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

52.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 $52.2

$70.1 ₡31.6K

-25.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.82 $42.82

$55.2 ₡24.9K

-22.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 $89.8

$130 ₡58.5K

-30.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$131 ₡59.2K

-22.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 $1,533

$1,164 ₡525.2K

31.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 $1,263

$945 ₡426.4K

33.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,517 $2,517

$1,993 ₡899.4K

26.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 $2,062

$1,404 ₡633.4K

46.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,240 $3,240

$2,727 ₡1.2M

18.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,060 $2,060

$2,040 ₡920.7K

0.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,079 $3,079

$1,011 ₡456.1K

204.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Jamestown, ND: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Jamestown, ND

$1.3K 49%

San Jose

$945 44.9% 25.2% $318

Groceries & Markets

Jamestown, ND

$379 14.7%

San Jose

$399 19% 5.4% $20

Eating Out

Jamestown, ND

$335 13%

San Jose

$232 11% 30.7% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jamestown, ND

$328 12.7%

San Jose

$188 9% 42.5% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Jamestown, ND

$129 5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 34.9% $45

Getting Around

Jamestown, ND

$82 3.2%

San Jose

$82 3.9% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Jamestown, ND

$63 2.4%

San Jose

$85 4% 35.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,533 in Jamestown, ND and $1,164 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jamestown, ND pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Jamestown, ND vs $61 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $379 vs $399, with Jamestown, ND cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jamestown, ND

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

1 h behind Jamestown, ND

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

Jamestown, ND San Jose 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Jamestown, ND
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

Jamestown, ND vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 18% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Jamestown, ND is about 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: $1,533 in Jamestown, ND versus $1,164 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $61 versus $67 in Jamestown, ND. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,578 per month in Jamestown, ND versus $2,105 in San Jose – San Jose is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,105 in San Jose versus $2,578 in Jamestown, ND, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Jamestown, ND. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Jamestown, ND on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.