Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mount Laurel, NJ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,569 in Mount Laurel, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Mount Laurel, NJ
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Mount Laurel, NJ Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Mount Laurel, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,569

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,569 per month in Mount Laurel, NJ vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Mount Laurel, NJ $2,569
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,759 per month in Mount Laurel, NJ vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Mount Laurel, NJ $3,759
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,949 per month in Mount Laurel, NJ vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Mount Laurel, NJ $4,949
San Jose $4,054

Mount Laurel, NJ costs about 22% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mount Laurel, NJ and San Jose sit above the global median – Mount Laurel, NJ by 90%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.26 $17.26

$12.37 ₡5,563

39.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 $91.2

$62.4 ₡28.0K

46.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.09 $12.09

$11.71 ₡5,264

3.25%

Cappuccino

$5.34 $5.34

$4.54 ₡2,040

17.62%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$2.75 ₡1,238

7.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.86 ₡837

5.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.35 ₡1,505

-12.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 $5.88

$4.32 ₡1,944

36.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 $1.50

$2.36 ₡1,061

-36.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.07 ₡1,379

-9.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.51 ₡1,128

125.90%

Eggs

$3.93 $3.93

$3.53 ₡1,585

11.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 $11.95

$10.54 ₡4,738

13.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 $6.80

$10.57 ₡4,754

-35.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.97 $12.97

$13.92 ₡6,261

-6.82%

Apples (1kg)

$5.98 $5.98

$5.20 ₡2,338

15.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.65 ₡740

-6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$4.89 ₡2,198

-12.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$3.84 ₡1,728

15.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.91 ₡1,757

-45.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$3.76 ₡1,692

-11.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.12 ₡504

129.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$3.22 ₡1,447

-20.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.97 $11.97

$6.02 ₡2,706

98.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 $15.16

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$2.81 ₡1,264

-14.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.65 ₡1,643

24.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.08 ₡487

70.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 $59.3

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-9.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.26 ₡1,018

18.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.78 ₡799

3.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.48 $26.48

$7.90 ₡3,551

235.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.50 ₡673

-26.67%

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

$31.9K $31.9K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-4.75%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.09%

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

$227 $227

$93.2 ₡41.9K

143.24%

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

$66.0 $66.0

$36.13 ₡16.2K

82.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.9 $65.9

$60.6 ₡27.2K

8.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.41 $39.41

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-42.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.75 $14.75

$7.67 ₡3,449

92.31%

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

$2,095 $2,095

$972 ₡436.9K

115.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K $20.2K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

7.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.09 $49.09

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-30.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.21 $43.21

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-23.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$129 ₡57.8K

-17.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$131 ₡58.8K

5.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,606 $1,606

$1,170 ₡525.9K

37.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 $1,254

$943 ₡424.1K

32.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,615 $2,615

$1,984 ₡892.0K

31.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,015 $2,015

$1,400 ₡629.5K

43.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,532 $2,532

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-5.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 $2,301

$2,037 ₡915.8K

12.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.62

-20.88%

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

Last update for Mount Laurel, 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

Mount Laurel, NJ

$1.3K 48.8%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 24.8% $310

Groceries & Markets

Mount Laurel, NJ

$374 14.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 7.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mount Laurel, NJ

$359 14%

San Jose

$190 9% 47% $169

Eating Out

Mount Laurel, NJ

$285 11.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 18.3% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Mount Laurel, NJ

$151 5.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 15.1% $23

Getting Around

Mount Laurel, NJ

$78 3.1%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 2.8% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Mount Laurel, NJ

$69 2.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 22.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,606 in Mount Laurel, NJ 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Mount Laurel, NJ versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $374 in Mount Laurel, NJ vs $403 in San Jose – so Mount Laurel, NJ wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Mount Laurel, NJ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

1 h behind Mount Laurel, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,326

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

Mount Laurel, NJ San Jose 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mount Laurel, 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

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

Yes – Mount Laurel, NJ is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,854 per month in Mount Laurel, NJ 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 $1,606 in Mount Laurel, NJ.

Kindergarten costs $2,095 per month in Mount Laurel, NJ and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Mount Laurel, NJ – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Mount Laurel, NJ at $2,569. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mount Laurel, NJ 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.