Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lebanon, NH and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,933 in Lebanon, NH, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lebanon, NH, United States
San Jose, Costa Rica
Lebanon, NH
🇺🇸 United States
$2,933
/mo nomad
San Jose
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$2,107
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,933 per month in Lebanon, NH vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Lebanon, NH $2,933
  • San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,570 per month in Lebanon, NH vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Lebanon, NH $4,570
  • San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $6,207 per month in Lebanon, NH vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Lebanon, NH $6,207
  • San Jose $4,054

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

Both Lebanon, NH and San Jose sit above the global median – Lebanon, NH by 117%, San Jose by 56%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lebanon, NH
San Jose
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.45 $25.45
$12.37 ₡5,563
105.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$119 $119
$62.4 ₡28.0K
90.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.98 $14.98
$11.71 ₡5,264
27.92%
Cappuccino
$6.14 $6.14
$4.54 ₡2,040
35.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 $3.13
$2.75 ₡1,238
13.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 $2.37
$1.86 ₡837
27.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.14 $8.14
$3.35 ₡1,505
142.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.84 $7.84
$4.32 ₡1,944
81.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lebanon, NH
San Jose
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.81 $0.81
$2.36 ₡1,061
-65.68%
White Bread (500g)
$4.71 $4.71
$3.07 ₡1,379
53.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$8.25 $8.25
$2.51 ₡1,128
228.69%
Eggs
$3.95 $3.95
$3.53 ₡1,585
11.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.41 $19.41
$10.54 ₡4,738
84.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.26 $10.26
$10.57 ₡4,754
-2.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.03 $16.03
$13.92 ₡6,261
15.16%
Apples (1kg)
$4.79 $4.79
$5.20 ₡2,338
-7.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.65 ₡740
3.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.87 $5.87
$4.89 ₡2,198
20.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.85 $6.85
$3.84 ₡1,728
78.39%
Potato (1kg)
$6.35 $6.35
$3.91 ₡1,757
62.40%
Onion (1kg)
$3.72 $3.72
$3.76 ₡1,692
-1.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.20 $3.20
$1.12 ₡504
185.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.51 $2.51
$3.22 ₡1,447
-22.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.99 $11.99
$6.02 ₡2,706
99.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.26 $15.26
$19.84 ₡8,919
-23.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 $1.89
$2.81 ₡1,264
-32.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.64 $2.64
$3.65 ₡1,643
-27.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Lebanon, NH
San Jose
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.83 $1.83
$1.08 ₡487
69.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$51.9 $51.9
$65.2 ₡29.3K
-20.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.02 $4.02
$2.26 ₡1,018
77.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.20 $2.20
$1.78 ₡799
23.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.22 $30.22
$7.90 ₡3,551
282.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 $1.07
$1.50 ₡673
-28.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K $27.4K
$33.5K ₡15.1M
-18.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K $25.8K
$42.3K ₡19.0M
-38.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lebanon, NH
San Jose
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$228 $228
$93.2 ₡41.9K
144.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$45.58 $45.58
$36.13 ₡16.2K
26.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.2 $59.2
$60.6 ₡27.2K
-2.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lebanon, NH
San Jose
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.55 $37.55
$68.9 ₡31.0K
-45.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$24.94 ₡11.2K
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.84 $12.84
$7.67 ₡3,449
67.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lebanon, NH
San Jose
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,243 $1,243
$972 ₡436.9K
27.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$27.9K $27.9K
$18.9K ₡8.5M
47.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lebanon, NH
San Jose
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.3 $53.3
$70.6 ₡31.8K
-24.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$78.5 $78.5
$56.7 ₡25.5K
38.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 $101
$129 ₡57.8K
-21.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 $132
$131 ₡58.8K
1.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lebanon, NH
San Jose
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,597 $1,597
$1,170 ₡525.9K
36.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,430 $1,430
$943 ₡424.1K
51.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,956 $2,956
$1,984 ₡892.0K
49.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,721 $2,721
$1,400 ₡629.5K
94.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,884 $2,884
$2,681 ₡1.2M
7.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,357 $2,357
$2,037 ₡915.8K
15.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lebanon, NH
San Jose
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,576 $5,576
$987 ₡443.6K
465.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.5
8.62
-24.59%

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

Last update for Lebanon, NH: 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
Lebanon, NH
$1.4K
San Jose
$943 34% $487
Groceries & Markets
Lebanon, NH
$468
San Jose
$403 14% $65
Eating Out
Lebanon, NH
$401
San Jose
$232 42% $168
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lebanon, NH
$333
San Jose
$190 43% $143
Clothing & Footwear
Lebanon, NH
$164
San Jose
$174 6.1% $9.9
Getting Around
Lebanon, NH
$74
San Jose
$81 8.7% $6.5
Sport & Entertainment
Lebanon, NH
$63
San Jose
$84 33.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,597 in Lebanon, NH 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 Lebanon, NH are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $119 in Lebanon, NH versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $468 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Lebanon, NH
🇨🇷 San Jose
🕒 Local time
19:25 7:25 PM
18:25 6:25 PM
1 h behind Lebanon, NH
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
25,477
342,188 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lebanon, NH San Jose 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lebanon, NH
  • 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
Lebanon, NH vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is San Jose cheaper than Lebanon, NH?
Yes – Lebanon, NH is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,400 per month in Lebanon, NH and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,597 in Lebanon, NH.
How do food prices compare in Lebanon, NH and in San Jose?
Groceries cost about 16% more in Lebanon, NH, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is eating out cheaper in Lebanon, NH or in San Jose?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $119 in Lebanon, NH and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Lebanon, NH or in San Jose?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Lebanon, NH at $2,933. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lebanon, NH it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Lebanon, NH or San Jose more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lebanon, NH makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Lebanon, NH vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?