Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lumberton, NC and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,591 in Lumberton, NC, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Lumberton, NC
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Lumberton, NC Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Lumberton, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,591

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,591 per month in Lumberton, NC vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Lumberton, NC $2,591
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,918 per month in Lumberton, NC vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Lumberton, NC $3,918
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,245 per month in Lumberton, NC vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Lumberton, NC $5,245
San Jose $4,054

Lumberton, NC costs about 23% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Lumberton, NC and San Jose sit above the global median – Lumberton, NC by 92%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.80 $15.80

$12.37 ₡5,563

27.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 $103

$62.4 ₡28.0K

65.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 $9.87

$11.71 ₡5,264

-15.71%

Cappuccino

$4.79 $4.79

$4.54 ₡2,040

5.51%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$2.75 ₡1,238

12.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.86 ₡837

15.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 $6.03

$3.35 ₡1,505

80.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 $7.03

$4.32 ₡1,944

62.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$2.36 ₡1,061

-64.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 $1.44

$3.07 ₡1,379

-53.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.51 ₡1,128

-5.58%

Eggs

$5.95 $5.95

$3.53 ₡1,585

68.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.99 $18.99

$10.54 ₡4,738

80.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.14 $17.14

$10.57 ₡4,754

62.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.65 $27.65

$13.92 ₡6,261

98.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$5.20 ₡2,338

-28.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.65 ₡740

-27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$4.89 ₡2,198

-33.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$3.84 ₡1,728

14.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$3.91 ₡1,757

-37.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$3.76 ₡1,692

3.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.12 ₡504

71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.22 ₡1,447

-37.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.00 $9.00

$6.02 ₡2,706

49.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.92 $14.92

$19.84 ₡8,919

-24.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.81 ₡1,264

-46.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.65 ₡1,643

9.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.08 ₡487

70.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.1 $67.1

$65.2 ₡29.3K

2.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.26 ₡1,018

62.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.78 ₡799

-32.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.17 $28.17

$7.90 ₡3,551

256.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.50 ₡673

-30.00%

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

$31.0K $31.0K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-7.53%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-40.26%

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

$150 $150

$93.2 ₡41.9K

60.94%

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

$75.7 $75.7

$36.13 ₡16.2K

109.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.3 $70.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

15.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.01 $37.01

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-46.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.22 $14.22

$7.67 ₡3,449

85.40%

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

$446 $446

$972 ₡436.9K

-54.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K $30.5K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

61.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.8 $60.8

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-13.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.35 $40.35

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-28.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$129 ₡57.8K

-19.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$131 ₡58.8K

6.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 $1,554

$1,170 ₡525.9K

32.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 $1,277

$943 ₡424.1K

35.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,600 $2,600

$1,984 ₡892.0K

31.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 $2,130

$1,400 ₡629.5K

52.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,953 $2,953

$2,681 ₡1.2M

10.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,263 $2,263

$2,037 ₡915.8K

11.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,358 $2,358

$987 ₡443.6K

138.94%

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 Lumberton, NC: 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

Lumberton, NC

$1.3K 49.3%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 26.2% $334

Groceries & Markets

Lumberton, NC

$435 16.8%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 7.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lumberton, NC

$296 11.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 35.8% $106

Eating Out

Lumberton, NC

$279 10.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 16.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Lumberton, NC

$154 6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 12.7% $20

Getting Around

Lumberton, NC

$84 3.3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 4.1% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Lumberton, NC

$65 2.5%

San Jose

$84 4% 28.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,554 in Lumberton, NC 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 Lumberton, NC are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $103 in Lumberton, NC versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $435 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lumberton, NC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:36 7:36 AM

06:36 6:36 AM

1 h behind Lumberton, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,025

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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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Between locations

Lumberton, NC San Jose 2,790 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lumberton, NC
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

Lumberton, NC vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lumberton, NC costs about 23% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,886 per month in Lumberton, NC and $3,161 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,554 in Lumberton, NC.

Public transport costs about 3% less in San Jose. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $446 per month in Lumberton, NC and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Lumberton, NC at $2,591. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lumberton, NC 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 $2,107 in San Jose to $2,591 in Lumberton, NC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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