Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Little Rock, AR and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,137 in Little Rock, AR, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Little Rock, AR outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

104

Cost of Living Index in Little Rock, AR
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Little Rock, AR Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Little Rock, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,137

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,137 per month in Little Rock, AR vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Little Rock, AR $2,137
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $3,103 per month in Little Rock, AR vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Little Rock, AR $3,103
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $4,069 per month in Little Rock, AR vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Little Rock, AR $4,069
San Jose $3,857

Little Rock, AR costs about 10% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Little Rock, AR and San Jose sit above the global median – Little Rock, AR by 59%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 $17.18

$12.22 ₡5,510

40.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$60.1 ₡27.1K

22.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 $10.84

$11.77 ₡5,305

-7.90%

Cappuccino

$5.15 $5.15

$4.30 ₡1,939

19.77%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$2.72 ₡1,226

8.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.84 ₡830

32.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 $5.54

$3.28 ₡1,480

68.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.41 $6.41

$4.36 ₡1,966

47.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.38 ₡1,074

-53.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.12 ₡1,408

-13.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.41 ₡1,086

17.01%

Eggs

$3.39 $3.39

$3.47 ₡1,564

-2.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 $10.15

$10.57 ₡4,767

-3.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 $11.70

$10.56 ₡4,758

10.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.86 $22.86

$13.75 ₡6,196

66.25%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$5.04 ₡2,274

-0.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.61 ₡727

-8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$4.59 ₡2,069

-3.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.84 ₡1,731

-1.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$3.77 ₡1,700

-27.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.76 ₡1,693

-31.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.12 ₡506

73.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$3.20 ₡1,441

-39.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.74 $9.74

$5.84 ₡2,632

66.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 $13.47

$19.73 ₡8,897

-31.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.75 ₡1,240

-35.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$3.66 ₡1,650

-53.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.12 ₡503

21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.95 $35.95

$65.1 ₡29.4K

-44.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.46 ₡1,110

3.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.54 ₡692

-3.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.22 $24.22

$8.46 ₡3,815

186.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.55 ₡699

-41.94%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

72.31%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-24.92%

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

$218 $218

$94.7 ₡42.7K

129.87%

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

$59.9 $59.9

$35.11 ₡15.8K

70.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 $68.3

$58.6 ₡26.4K

16.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.12 $29.12

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-59.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.94 $13.94

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-44.66%

Cinema Ticket

$12.76 $12.76

$7.83 ₡3,532

62.96%

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

$1,014 $1,014

$971 ₡437.9K

4.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K $18.9K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

10.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 $50.8

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-29.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.52 $39.52

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-27.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 $83.8

$129 ₡58.2K

-35.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 $147

$133 ₡60.0K

10.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 $1,132

$934 ₡420.9K

21.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 $874

$770 ₡347.2K

13.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 $1,577

$1,945 ₡876.7K

-18.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,282 $1,282

$1,316 ₡593.5K

-2.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,870 $1,870

$2,277 ₡1.0M

-17.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,335 $1,335

$1,795 ₡809.1K

-25.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,805 $3,805

$1,006 ₡453.5K

278.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.62

-21.69%

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

Last update for Little Rock, AR: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Little Rock, AR

$874 40.9%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 11.9% $104

Groceries & Markets

Little Rock, AR

$374 17.5%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 6.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Little Rock, AR

$346 16.2%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 45.5% $157

Eating Out

Little Rock, AR

$294 13.7%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 22.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Little Rock, AR

$145 6.8%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 21% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Little Rock, AR

$55 2.6%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 60.7% $33

Getting Around

Little Rock, AR

$51 2.4%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 55.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,132 in Little Rock, AR versus $934 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 run about 278% higher in Little Rock, AR, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Little Rock, AR versus $60.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $374 in Little Rock, AR vs $399 in San Jose – so Little Rock, AR wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Little Rock, AR

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

06:04 6:04 AM

1 h behind Little Rock, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,591

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

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Highest

Between locations

Little Rock, AR San Jose 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Little Rock, AR
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

Little Rock, AR vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,137 in Little Rock, AR, $1,949 in San Jose – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,205 per month in Little Rock, AR and $2,924 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,014 per month in Little Rock, AR and $971 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Little Rock, AR – 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 $1,949, than in Little Rock, AR at $2,137. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Little Rock, AR 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 $1,949 in San Jose to $2,137 in Little Rock, AR. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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