Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between McCook, NE and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,610 in McCook, NE, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in McCook, NE
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McCook, NE Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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McCook, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,610

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,610 per month in McCook, NE vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

McCook, NE $2,610
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,705 per month in McCook, NE vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

McCook, NE $3,705
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $4,800 per month in McCook, NE vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

McCook, NE $4,800
San Jose $3,929

McCook, NE costs about 36% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both McCook, NE and San Jose sit above the global median – McCook, NE by 93%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 $19.97

$12.29 ₡5,513

62.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 $74.1

$62.3 ₡27.9K

19.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 $11.79

$11.53 ₡5,171

2.25%

Cappuccino

$5.43 $5.43

$4.35 ₡1,953

24.83%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$2.64 ₡1,183

0.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.86 ₡836

9.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.32 ₡1,490

76.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$4.52 ₡2,026

58.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$2.39 ₡1,073

-51.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$3.08 ₡1,381

12.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.50 ₡1,119

77.60%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$3.48 ₡1,562

17.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.37 $13.37

$10.74 ₡4,815

24.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.64 $11.64

$10.32 ₡4,629

12.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.66 $18.66

$14.10 ₡6,325

32.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$5.03 ₡2,256

5.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.59 ₡714

6.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$4.84 ₡2,171

-9.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$3.96 ₡1,776

22.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$3.76 ₡1,684

-17.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.73 ₡1,674

-13.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.08 ₡485

79.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$3.25 ₡1,456

-25.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.56 $10.56

$5.86 ₡2,627

80.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 $13.99

$20.28 ₡9,095

-31.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.90 ₡1,300

-31.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.73 ₡1,673

1.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.08 ₡486

77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.50 ₡1,123

30.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.63 ₡732

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.85 $33.85

$8.71 ₡3,904

288.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.58 ₡709

-34.81%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-20.99%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-38.08%

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

$202 $202

$93.7 ₡42.0K

115.16%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$35.42 ₡15.9K

66.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$60.0 ₡26.9K

15.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 $41.77

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-42.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$13.69 $13.69

$7.74 ₡3,471

76.87%

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

$1,230 $1,230

$1,005 ₡450.9K

22.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K $25.4K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

50.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.4 $60.4

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-17.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.59 $36.59

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-34.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 $88.5

$128 ₡57.5K

-31.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$130 ₡58.5K

-16.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 $1,569

$932 ₡418.0K

68.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 $1,326

$760 ₡340.8K

74.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 $2,514

$1,922 ₡862.0K

30.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 $1,967

$1,276 ₡572.1K

54.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,944 $2,944

$2,301 ₡1.0M

27.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,574 $2,574

$1,833 ₡821.9K

40.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for McCook, NE: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

McCook, NE

$1.3K 50.8%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 42.7% $566

Groceries & Markets

McCook, NE

$411 15.8%

San Jose

$403 21% 2% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

McCook, NE

$330 12.6%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 42.7% $141

Eating Out

McCook, NE

$323 12.4%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 29.1% $94

Clothing & Footwear

McCook, NE

$132 5.1%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 31.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

McCook, NE

$69 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 27.4% $19

Getting Around

McCook, NE

$19 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 321% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,569 in McCook, NE 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 $74.0 in McCook, NE versus $62.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 McCook, NE

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

14:01 2:01 PM

1 h behind McCook, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,400

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

McCook, NE San Jose 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

McCook, NE
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

McCook, NE vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – McCook, NE is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,915 per month in McCook, NE 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 $74.0 in McCook, NE and $62.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in McCook, NE, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in McCook, NE at $2,610. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in McCook, NE it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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, McCook, NE makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.