Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Missoula, MT and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,609 in Missoula, MT, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Missoula, MT
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Missoula, MT Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Missoula, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,609

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,609 in Missoula, MT versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Missoula, MT $2,609
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,087 in Missoula, MT versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Missoula, MT $4,087
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,565 in Missoula, MT versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Missoula, MT $5,565
San Jose $4,054

Living in Missoula, MT is roughly 24% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Missoula, MT 93% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.73 $16.73

$12.37 ₡5,563

35.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$62.4 ₡28.0K

20.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.27 $9.27

$11.71 ₡5,264

-20.84%

Cappuccino

$4.37 $4.37

$4.54 ₡2,040

-3.74%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$2.75 ₡1,238

12.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.86 ₡837

25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 $5.86

$3.35 ₡1,505

74.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 $5.93

$4.32 ₡1,944

37.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.36 ₡1,061

-52.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.07 ₡1,379

12.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.51 ₡1,128

98.41%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$3.53 ₡1,585

20.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.81 $24.81

$10.54 ₡4,738

135.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.67 $9.67

$10.57 ₡4,754

-8.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.98 $18.98

$13.92 ₡6,261

36.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$5.20 ₡2,338

-7.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.65 ₡740

-11.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$4.89 ₡2,198

33.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$3.84 ₡1,728

-2.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$3.91 ₡1,757

-40.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.76 ₡1,692

-21.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.12 ₡504

115.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.22 ₡1,447

21.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.50 $10.50

$6.02 ₡2,706

74.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.82 $24.82

$19.84 ₡8,919

25.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.81 ₡1,264

-29.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.65 ₡1,643

20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 $5.13

$2.26 ₡1,018

126.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.99 $4.99

$1.78 ₡799

180.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.29 $39.29

$7.90 ₡3,551

397.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.50 ₡673

-27.33%

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

$32.3K $32.3K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-3.47%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-41.97%

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

$139 $139

$93.2 ₡41.9K

48.96%

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

$52.7 $52.7

$36.13 ₡16.2K

45.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

14.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.22 $49.22

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-28.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.25 $22.25

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-10.79%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$7.67 ₡3,449

79.27%

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

$2,009 $2,009

$972 ₡436.9K

106.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-5.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 $66.4

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-5.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 $44.46

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-21.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$129 ₡57.8K

-18.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$131 ₡58.8K

13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 $1,522

$1,170 ₡525.9K

30.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 $1,324

$943 ₡424.1K

40.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,992 $2,992

$1,984 ₡892.0K

50.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,649 $2,649

$1,400 ₡629.5K

89.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,211 $4,211

$2,681 ₡1.2M

57.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,475 $3,475

$2,037 ₡915.8K

70.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,666 $3,666

$987 ₡443.6K

271.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

8.62

-20.65%

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

Last update for Missoula, MT: 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

Missoula, MT

$1.3K 50.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 28.7% $380

Groceries & Markets

Missoula, MT

$477 18.3%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 15.7% $75

Eating Out

Missoula, MT

$277 10.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 16.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Missoula, MT

$261 10%

San Jose

$190 9% 27.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Missoula, MT

$164 6.3%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 6.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Missoula, MT

$77 2.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 9.8% $7.5

Getting Around

Missoula, MT

$30 * 1.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 168% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,522 in Missoula, MT and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Missoula, MT pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Missoula, MT vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Missoula, MT

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

11:20 11:20 AM

1 h ahead of Missoula, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,489

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

Missoula, MT San Jose 4,980 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Missoula, MT
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

Missoula, MT vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Missoula, MT is about 3.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,522 in Missoula, MT versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,009 in Missoula, MT versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $75 in Missoula, MT. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,609 in Missoula, MT, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Missoula, MT. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Missoula, MT, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Missoula, MT on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.