Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Murphysboro, IL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Murphysboro, IL: $1,701 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Murphysboro, IL
🇺🇸 United States
$1,701
/mo nomad
San Jose
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,949
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,701 per month in Murphysboro, IL vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Murphysboro, IL $1,701
  • San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $2,583 per month in Murphysboro, IL vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Murphysboro, IL $2,583
  • San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $3,466 per month in Murphysboro, IL vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Murphysboro, IL $3,466
  • San Jose $3,857

Murphysboro, IL is about 13% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Murphysboro, IL and San Jose sit above the global median – Murphysboro, IL by 27%, San Jose by 45%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Murphysboro, IL
San Jose
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.97 $17.97
$12.22 ₡5,510
47.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.3 $84.3
$60.1 ₡27.1K
40.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.85 $11.85
$11.77 ₡5,305
0.68%
Cappuccino
$6.79 $6.79
$4.30 ₡1,939
57.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 $2.95
$2.72 ₡1,226
8.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 $2.47
$1.84 ₡830
34.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.86 $6.86
$3.28 ₡1,480
109.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.78 $7.78
$4.36 ₡1,966
78.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Murphysboro, IL
San Jose
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.83 $0.83
$2.38 ₡1,074
-65.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.81 $1.81
$3.12 ₡1,408
-41.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.11 $4.11
$2.41 ₡1,086
70.54%
Eggs
$4.12 $4.12
$3.47 ₡1,564
18.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.19 $13.19
$10.57 ₡4,767
24.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.81 $9.81
$10.56 ₡4,758
-7.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.47 $15.47
$13.75 ₡6,196
12.51%
Apples (1kg)
$5.95 $5.95
$5.04 ₡2,274
18.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 $1.53
$1.61 ₡727
-4.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.09 $4.09
$4.59 ₡2,069
-10.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.87 $4.87
$3.84 ₡1,731
26.82%
Potato (1kg)
$1.09 $1.09
$3.77 ₡1,700
-71.09%
Onion (1kg)
$2.03 $2.03
$3.76 ₡1,693
-46.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.64 $1.64
$1.12 ₡506
46.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 $0.77
$3.20 ₡1,441
-75.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.35 $10.35
$5.84 ₡2,632
77.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.99 $9.99
$19.73 ₡8,897
-49.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.51 $2.51
$2.75 ₡1,240
-8.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.21 $4.21
$3.66 ₡1,650
15.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Murphysboro, IL
San Jose
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.05 $2.05
$1.12 ₡503
83.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$65.1 ₡29.4K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.09 $5.09
$2.46 ₡1,110
106.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.54 $1.54
$1.54 ₡692
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.65 $20.65
$8.46 ₡3,815
144.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.01 $1.01
$1.55 ₡699
-34.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.1K $38.1K
$21.7K ₡9.8M
75.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.8K $27.8K
$34.9K ₡15.7M
-20.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Murphysboro, IL
San Jose
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$190 $190
$94.7 ₡42.7K
101.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.40 $33.40
$35.11 ₡15.8K
-4.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.26 $39.26
$58.6 ₡26.4K
-32.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Murphysboro, IL
San Jose
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.73 $43.73
$72.2 ₡32.5K
-39.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$25.19 ₡11.4K
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.57 $8.57
$7.83 ₡3,532
9.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Murphysboro, IL
San Jose
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,436 $1,436
$971 ₡437.9K
47.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.7K $30.7K
$17.0K ₡7.7M
80.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Murphysboro, IL
San Jose
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$33.84 $33.84
$71.6 ₡32.3K
-52.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.81 $34.81
$54.9 ₡24.7K
-36.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.0 $93.0
$129 ₡58.2K
-27.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 $114
$133 ₡60.0K
-14.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Murphysboro, IL
San Jose
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$622 $622
$934 ₡420.9K
-33.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$560 $560
$770 ₡347.2K
-27.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$907 $907
$1,945 ₡876.7K
-53.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$866 $866
$1,316 ₡593.5K
-34.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$903 $903
$2,277 ₡1.0M
-60.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$984 $984
$1,795 ₡809.1K
-45.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Murphysboro, IL
San Jose
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,541 $2,541
$1,006 ₡453.5K
152.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.55
8.62
-24.01%

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

Last update for Murphysboro, IL: October 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Murphysboro, IL
$560
San Jose
$770 37.4% $210
Groceries & Markets
Murphysboro, IL
$338
San Jose
$399 18% $61
Eating Out
Murphysboro, IL
$332
San Jose
$228 31.4% $104
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Murphysboro, IL
$263
San Jose
$188 28.4% $75
Clothing & Footwear
Murphysboro, IL
$124
San Jose
$175 40.8% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Murphysboro, IL
$61
San Jose
$88 44.3% $27
Getting Around
Murphysboro, IL
$21 *
San Jose
$80 280% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $622 in Murphysboro, IL versus $934 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.

Salaries run about 153% higher in Murphysboro, IL, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Murphysboro, IL versus $60.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $338 in Murphysboro, IL vs $399 in San Jose – so Murphysboro, IL wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Murphysboro, IL
🇨🇷 San Jose
🕒 Local time
13:33 1:33 PM
12:33 12:33 PM
1 h behind Murphysboro, IL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
7,500
342,188 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Murphysboro, IL San Jose 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Murphysboro, IL
  • 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
Murphysboro, IL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Murphysboro, IL or San Jose?
San Jose costs about 15% more than Murphysboro, IL, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Murphysboro, IL and in San Jose?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,551 per month in Murphysboro, IL and $2,924 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Murphysboro, IL or San Jose?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Murphysboro, IL, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Murphysboro, IL and in San Jose?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Murphysboro, IL and $60.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Murphysboro, IL or in San Jose?
Groceries cost about 18% more in San Jose, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Murphysboro, IL or in San Jose?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Murphysboro, IL, where all-in costs run around $1,701, than in San Jose at $1,949. In Murphysboro, IL it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Murphysboro, IL or San Jose?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Murphysboro, IL costs $1,701 versus $1,949 in San Jose. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Murphysboro, IL or to San Jose?
If budget matters most, go with Murphysboro, IL. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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