Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingsport, TN and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingsport, TN: $1,963 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Kingsport, TN
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Kingsport, TN Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Kingsport, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,963

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,963 per month in Kingsport, TN vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Kingsport, TN $1,963
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,210 per month in Kingsport, TN vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Kingsport, TN $3,210
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,457 per month in Kingsport, TN vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Kingsport, TN $4,457
San Jose $4,054

Kingsport, TN is about 7% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kingsport, TN and San Jose sit above the global median – Kingsport, TN by 45%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.74 $17.74

$12.37 ₡5,563

43.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 $55.6

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-10.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 $11.17

$11.71 ₡5,264

-4.61%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$4.54 ₡2,040

12.11%

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

$2.35 $2.35

$2.75 ₡1,238

-14.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.86 ₡837

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.35 ₡1,505

34.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$4.32 ₡1,944

64.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.36 ₡1,061

-63.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.07 ₡1,379

-13.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.51 ₡1,128

-10.76%

Eggs

$3.42 $3.42

$3.53 ₡1,585

-3.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.21 $14.21

$10.54 ₡4,738

34.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.49 $8.49

$10.57 ₡4,754

-19.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.06 $17.06

$13.92 ₡6,261

22.56%

Apples (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$5.20 ₡2,338

4.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.65 ₡740

-30.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$4.89 ₡2,198

-20.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.84 ₡1,728

17.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$3.91 ₡1,757

-39.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.76 ₡1,692

-13.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.12 ₡504

91.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$3.22 ₡1,447

-36.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.86 $7.86

$6.02 ₡2,706

30.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.83 $9.83

$19.84 ₡8,919

-50.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.81 ₡1,264

-40.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 $4.80

$3.65 ₡1,643

31.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 $0.65

$1.78 ₡799

-63.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.50 ₡673

-42.67%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

9.44%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.39%

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

$122 $122

$93.2 ₡41.9K

31.02%

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

$49.69 $49.69

$36.13 ₡16.2K

37.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 $64.0

$60.6 ₡27.2K

5.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.13 $41.13

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-40.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 $12.11

$7.67 ₡3,449

57.89%

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

$563 $563

$972 ₡436.9K

-42.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K $14.0K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-25.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.49 $44.49

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-37.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.50 $34.50

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-39.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 $90.8

$129 ₡57.8K

-29.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$131 ₡58.8K

-14.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 $1,083

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-7.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 $891

$943 ₡424.1K

-5.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,348 $2,348

$1,984 ₡892.0K

18.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,072 $2,072

$1,400 ₡629.5K

48.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,879 $1,879

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-29.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,932 $1,932

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-5.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,763 $3,763

$987 ₡443.6K

281.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.62

-21.23%

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

Last update for Kingsport, TN: 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

Kingsport, TN

$891 45.4%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 5.9% $52

Groceries & Markets

Kingsport, TN

$351 17.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 14.8% $52

Eating Out

Kingsport, TN

$291 14.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 20% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingsport, TN

$236 12%

San Jose

$190 9% 19.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Kingsport, TN

$127 6.4%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 37.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Kingsport, TN

$65 3.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 29% $19

Getting Around

Kingsport, TN

$3.3 * 0.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 2383% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,083 in Kingsport, TN 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 Kingsport, TN are about 3.8 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Kingsport, TN versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $403 – making Kingsport, TN the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kingsport, TN

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

17:52 5:52 PM

1 h behind Kingsport, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,014

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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Highest

Between locations

Kingsport, TN San Jose 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kingsport, TN
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

Kingsport, TN vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,963 in Kingsport, TN, $2,107 in San Jose – Kingsport, TN comes out roughly 7% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,944 per month in Kingsport, TN 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 $1,083 in Kingsport, TN and $1,170 in San Jose. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Kingsport, TN and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in San Jose, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,963 in Kingsport, TN and $2,107 in San Jose, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kingsport, TN – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.