Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Morristown, TN and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Morristown, TN: $1,996 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Jose outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Morristown, TN, United States
San Jose, Costa Rica
Morristown, TN
🇺🇸 United States
$1,996
/mo nomad
San Jose
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$2,107
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,996 in Morristown, TN versus $2,107 in San Jose.

  • Morristown, TN $1,996
  • San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,107 in Morristown, TN versus $3,081 in San Jose.

  • Morristown, TN $3,107
  • San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,218 in Morristown, TN versus $4,054 in San Jose.

  • Morristown, TN $4,218
  • San Jose $4,054

Living in Morristown, TN costs roughly 5% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Morristown, TN 48% above, San Jose 56% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Morristown, TN
San Jose
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.93 $19.93
$12.37 ₡5,563
61.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 $101
$62.4 ₡28.0K
61.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.81 $10.81
$11.71 ₡5,264
-7.69%
Cappuccino
$5.24 $5.24
$4.54 ₡2,040
15.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 $2.33
$2.75 ₡1,238
-15.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 $2.12
$1.86 ₡837
13.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.11 $6.11
$3.35 ₡1,505
82.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.37 $7.37
$4.32 ₡1,944
70.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Morristown, TN
San Jose
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.94 $0.94
$2.36 ₡1,061
-60.17%
White Bread (500g)
$3.77 $3.77
$3.07 ₡1,379
22.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.03 $4.03
$2.51 ₡1,128
60.56%
Eggs
$4.40 $4.40
$3.53 ₡1,585
24.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.60 $12.60
$10.54 ₡4,738
19.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.55 $14.55
$10.57 ₡4,754
37.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.15 $13.15
$13.92 ₡6,261
-5.53%
Apples (1kg)
$6.67 $6.67
$5.20 ₡2,338
28.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.60 $1.60
$1.65 ₡740
-3.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.23 $4.23
$4.89 ₡2,198
-13.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.22 $4.22
$3.84 ₡1,728
9.90%
Potato (1kg)
$2.97 $2.97
$3.91 ₡1,757
-24.04%
Onion (1kg)
$3.74 $3.74
$3.76 ₡1,692
-0.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.72 $2.72
$1.12 ₡504
142.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.43 $2.43
$3.22 ₡1,447
-24.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.38 $9.38
$6.02 ₡2,706
55.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.86 $17.86
$19.84 ₡8,919
-9.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 $1.98
$2.81 ₡1,264
-29.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 $3.37
$3.65 ₡1,643
-7.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Morristown, TN
San Jose
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.98 $1.98
$1.08 ₡487
83.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$59.6 $59.6
$65.2 ₡29.3K
-8.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.04 $5.04
$2.26 ₡1,018
123.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.59 $1.59
$1.78 ₡799
-10.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.45 $29.45
$7.90 ₡3,551
272.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.92 $0.92
$1.50 ₡673
-38.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.7K $27.7K
$33.5K ₡15.1M
-17.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K $26.9K
$42.3K ₡19.0M
-36.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Morristown, TN
San Jose
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$155 $155
$93.2 ₡41.9K
66.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$84.6 $84.6
$36.13 ₡16.2K
134.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$76.5 $76.5
$60.6 ₡27.2K
26.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Morristown, TN
San Jose
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.52 $39.52
$68.9 ₡31.0K
-42.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$24.94 ₡11.2K
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.94 $14.94
$7.67 ₡3,449
94.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Morristown, TN
San Jose
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,063 $1,063
$972 ₡436.9K
9.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K $17.6K
$18.9K ₡8.5M
-6.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Morristown, TN
San Jose
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.16 $42.16
$70.6 ₡31.8K
-40.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.99 $37.99
$56.7 ₡25.5K
-32.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.3 $98.3
$129 ₡57.8K
-23.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 $117
$131 ₡58.8K
-10.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Morristown, TN
San Jose
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$847 $847
$1,170 ₡525.9K
-27.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$658 $658
$943 ₡424.1K
-30.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,295 $1,295
$1,984 ₡892.0K
-34.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,111 $1,111
$1,400 ₡629.5K
-20.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,847 $2,847
$2,681 ₡1.2M
6.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,221 $2,221
$2,037 ₡915.8K
9.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Morristown, TN
San Jose
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,759 $2,759
$987 ₡443.6K
179.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.58
8.62
-23.67%

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

Last update for Morristown, TN: 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
Morristown, TN
$658
San Jose
$943 43.4% $285
Groceries & Markets
Morristown, TN
$421
San Jose
$403 4.3% $18
Eating Out
Morristown, TN
$318
San Jose
$232 26.9% $85
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Morristown, TN
$316
San Jose
$190 40% $126
Clothing & Footwear
Morristown, TN
$133
San Jose
$174 30.7% $41
Getting Around
Morristown, TN
$81
San Jose
$81 0.2% $0.2
Sport & Entertainment
Morristown, TN
$69
San Jose
$84 21.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $847 in Morristown, TN and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Morristown, TN pays about 2.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $101 in Morristown, TN vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Morristown, TN
🇨🇷 San Jose
🕒 Local time
16:59 4:59 PM
15:59 3:59 PM
1 h behind Morristown, TN
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
19,122
342,188 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Morristown, TN San Jose 2,920 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Morristown, TN
  • 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, TN vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Morristown, TN cheaper than San Jose?
Morristown, TN is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Morristown, TN or San Jose?
Average pay in Morristown, TN is about 2.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Morristown, TN and San Jose?
Rent for a central apartment: $847 in Morristown, TN versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Morristown, TN runs roughly 9% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,063 in Morristown, TN versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $2,500 enough for either Morristown, TN or San Jose?
Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Morristown, TN gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Morristown, TN or in San Jose?
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.

Morristown, TN vs other spots: cost of living compared

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