Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laurel, MS and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,677 in Laurel, MS, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Laurel, MS outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

129

Cost of Living Index in Laurel, MS
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Laurel, MS Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Laurel, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,677

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,677 per month in Laurel, MS vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Laurel, MS $2,677
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,828 per month in Laurel, MS vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Laurel, MS $3,828
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $4,978 per month in Laurel, MS vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Laurel, MS $4,978
San Jose $3,929

Laurel, MS costs about 39% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Laurel, MS and San Jose sit above the global median – Laurel, MS by 98%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 $17.65

$12.29 ₡5,513

43.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 $60.1

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-3.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 $9.24

$11.53 ₡5,171

-19.86%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$4.35 ₡1,953

34.48%

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

$2.22 $2.22

$2.64 ₡1,183

-15.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.86 ₡836

28.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.32 ₡1,490

48.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 $6.05

$4.52 ₡2,026

33.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.39 ₡1,073

-56.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.08 ₡1,381

-1.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.50 ₡1,119

90.00%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$3.48 ₡1,562

12.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.49 $9.49

$10.74 ₡4,815

-11.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.90 $10.90

$10.32 ₡4,629

5.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.02 $16.02

$14.10 ₡6,325

13.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$5.03 ₡2,256

-21.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.59 ₡714

-15.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.97 $7.97

$4.84 ₡2,171

64.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.96 ₡1,776

-23.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$3.76 ₡1,684

-70.21%

Onion (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$3.73 ₡1,674

40.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.08 ₡485

151.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.25 ₡1,456

-16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.57 $8.57

$5.86 ₡2,627

46.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 $12.22

$20.28 ₡9,095

-39.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.90 ₡1,300

-16.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.73 ₡1,673

-4.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.08 ₡486

79.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.50 ₡1,123

22.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.63 ₡732

-4.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.52 $29.52

$8.71 ₡3,904

238.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.58 ₡709

-43.67%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-19.60%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-38.84%

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

$289 $289

$93.7 ₡42.0K

208.79%

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

$76.4 $76.4

$35.42 ₡15.9K

115.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 $68.9

$60.0 ₡26.9K

14.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.27 $42.27

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-41.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$16.23 $16.23

$7.74 ₡3,471

109.69%

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

$1,346 $1,346

$1,005 ₡450.9K

33.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K $18.4K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

8.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 $57.9

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-20.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 $38.84

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-29.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$128 ₡57.5K

-15.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$130 ₡58.5K

5.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,623 $1,623

$932 ₡418.0K

74.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 $1,319

$760 ₡340.8K

73.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,465 $2,465

$1,922 ₡862.0K

28.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,163 $2,163

$1,276 ₡572.1K

69.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,328 $2,328

$2,301 ₡1.0M

1.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,534 $2,534

$1,833 ₡821.9K

38.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

8.62

-22.39%

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

Last update for Laurel, MS: October 18, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Laurel, MS

$1.3K 49.3%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 42.4% $559

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laurel, MS

$435 16.2%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 56.5% $245

Groceries & Markets

Laurel, MS

$382 14.3%

San Jose

$403 21% 5.5% $21

Eating Out

Laurel, MS

$294 11%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 22.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Laurel, MS

$154 5.7%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 13.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Laurel, MS

$75 2.8%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 17.9% $13

Getting Around

Laurel, MS

$19 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 333% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,623 in Laurel, MS versus $932 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Laurel, MS versus $62.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $403 – making Laurel, MS the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Laurel, MS

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

06:22 6:22 AM

1 h behind Laurel, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,540

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Laurel, MS San Jose 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Laurel, MS
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

Laurel, MS vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,677 in Laurel, MS, $1,924 in San Jose – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,016 per month in Laurel, MS and $2,886 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Laurel, MS and $62.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Laurel, MS – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Laurel, MS at $2,677. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Laurel, MS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,924 in San Jose to $2,677 in Laurel, MS. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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