Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Morristown, NJ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,885 in Morristown, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

188

Cost of Living Index in Morristown, NJ
Learn more

Morristown, NJ Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Morristown, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,885

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,885 in Morristown, NJ versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Morristown, NJ $3,885
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,414 in Morristown, NJ versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Morristown, NJ $5,414
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,943 in Morristown, NJ versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Morristown, NJ $6,943
San Jose $4,054

Living in Morristown, NJ is roughly 84% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Morristown, NJ 187% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.30 $19.30

$12.37 ₡5,563

56.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.7 $78.7

$62.4 ₡28.0K

26.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.91 $11.91

$11.71 ₡5,264

1.71%

Cappuccino

$5.79 $5.79

$4.54 ₡2,040

27.53%

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

$2.55 $2.55

$2.75 ₡1,238

-7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.86 ₡837

-20.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 $7.90

$3.35 ₡1,505

135.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.18 $12.18

$4.32 ₡1,944

181.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.36 ₡1,061

-46.19%

White Bread (500g)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.07 ₡1,379

47.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.51 ₡1,128

74.10%

Eggs

$6.75 $6.75

$3.53 ₡1,585

91.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.87 $13.87

$10.54 ₡4,738

31.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 $6.73

$10.57 ₡4,754

-36.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.96 $19.96

$13.92 ₡6,261

43.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$5.20 ₡2,338

14.42%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.65 ₡740

84.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$4.89 ₡2,198

-13.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$3.84 ₡1,728

34.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.91 ₡1,757

-21.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.76 ₡1,692

-21.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.12 ₡504

92.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 $0.48

$3.22 ₡1,447

-85.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.89 $12.89

$6.02 ₡2,706

114.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.81 ₡1,264

-37.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$3.65 ₡1,643

-9.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.08 ₡487

134.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.1 $70.1

$65.2 ₡29.3K

7.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.26 ₡1,018

29.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.78 ₡799

21.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.98 $41.98

$7.90 ₡3,551

431.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.50 ₡673

-42.00%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-18.09%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.59%

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

$172 $172

$93.2 ₡41.9K

84.59%

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

$49.44 $49.44

$36.13 ₡16.2K

36.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.93 $49.93

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-17.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.4 $79.4

$68.9 ₡31.0K

15.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.11 $20.11

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-19.37%

Cinema Ticket

$16.83 $16.83

$7.67 ₡3,449

119.43%

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

$2,431 $2,431

$972 ₡436.9K

150.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K $20.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

10.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 $50.7

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-28.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.98 $26.98

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-52.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$129 ₡57.8K

-16.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$131 ₡58.8K

-22.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 $2,665

$1,170 ₡525.9K

127.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,536 $2,536

$943 ₡424.1K

168.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,202 $4,202

$1,984 ₡892.0K

111.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,874 $3,874

$1,400 ₡629.5K

176.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,745 $2,745

$2,681 ₡1.2M

2.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,251 $2,251

$2,037 ₡915.8K

10.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,164 $5,164

$987 ₡443.6K

423.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

8.62

-22.27%

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

Last update for Morristown, NJ: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Morristown, NJ

$2.5K 65.3%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 62.8% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Morristown, NJ

$403 10.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 0% $0.1

Eating Out

Morristown, NJ

$340 8.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 31.6% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Morristown, NJ

$271 7%

San Jose

$190 9% 30% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Morristown, NJ

$129 3.3%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 35% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Morristown, NJ

$113 2.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 25.4% $29

Getting Around

Morristown, NJ

$94 2.4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 14% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,665 in Morristown, NJ and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Morristown, NJ pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Morristown, NJ vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $403, with Morristown, NJ cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Morristown, NJ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

16:03 4:03 PM

1 h behind Morristown, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,122

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Morristown, NJ San Jose 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Morristown, NJ
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

Morristown, NJ vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Morristown, NJ. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Morristown, NJ is about 5.2 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: $2,665 in Morristown, NJ versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,431 in Morristown, NJ 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 $79 in Morristown, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,885 in Morristown, NJ, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Morristown, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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