Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Myrtle Beach, SC and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,453 in Myrtle Beach, SC, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Myrtle Beach, SC outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Myrtle Beach, SC
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Myrtle Beach, SC Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Myrtle Beach, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,453

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,453 per month in Myrtle Beach, SC vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Myrtle Beach, SC $2,453
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,457 per month in Myrtle Beach, SC vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Myrtle Beach, SC $3,457
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,462 per month in Myrtle Beach, SC vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Myrtle Beach, SC $4,462
San Jose $4,054

Myrtle Beach, SC costs about 16% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Myrtle Beach, SC and San Jose sit above the global median – Myrtle Beach, SC by 81%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 $18.20

$12.37 ₡5,563

47.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 $74.4

$62.4 ₡28.0K

19.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 $11.02

$11.71 ₡5,264

-5.89%

Cappuccino

$5.12 $5.12

$4.54 ₡2,040

12.78%

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

$2.81 $2.81

$2.75 ₡1,238

2.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.86 ₡837

22.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.89 $5.89

$3.35 ₡1,505

75.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.95 $6.95

$4.32 ₡1,944

60.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.36 ₡1,061

-60.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.07 ₡1,379

8.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.51 ₡1,128

29.08%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$3.53 ₡1,585

16.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.70 $12.70

$10.54 ₡4,738

20.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.01 $11.01

$10.57 ₡4,754

4.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 $15.02

$13.92 ₡6,261

7.90%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$5.20 ₡2,338

-2.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.65 ₡740

-24.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$4.89 ₡2,198

-12.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$3.84 ₡1,728

21.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$3.91 ₡1,757

-2.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$3.76 ₡1,692

-23.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.12 ₡504

64.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.22 ₡1,447

-31.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.66 $7.66

$6.02 ₡2,706

27.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 $12.60

$19.84 ₡8,919

-36.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.81 ₡1,264

-33.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$3.65 ₡1,643

-42.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.26 ₡1,018

51.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.78 ₡799

19.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.34 $30.34

$7.90 ₡3,551

284.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.50 ₡673

-40.00%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-15.29%

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

$23.7K $23.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-44.05%

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

$159 $159

$93.2 ₡41.9K

70.71%

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

$67.1 $67.1

$36.13 ₡16.2K

85.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.8 $77.8

$60.6 ₡27.2K

28.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 $51.3

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-25.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.80 $14.80

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-40.66%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 $11.42

$7.67 ₡3,449

48.89%

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

$1,461 $1,461

$972 ₡436.9K

50.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K $30.4K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

61.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-28.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.53 $37.53

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-33.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.5 $83.5

$129 ₡57.8K

-35.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 $88.8

$131 ₡58.8K

-32.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 $1,510

$1,170 ₡525.9K

29.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 $1,266

$943 ₡424.1K

34.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,428 $2,428

$1,984 ₡892.0K

22.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,795 $1,795

$1,400 ₡629.5K

28.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,404 $2,404

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-10.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,391 $2,391

$2,037 ₡915.8K

17.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,660 $3,660

$987 ₡443.6K

270.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Myrtle Beach, SC: November 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Myrtle Beach, SC

$1.3K 51.6%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 25.5% $323

Groceries & Markets

Myrtle Beach, SC

$374 15.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 7.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Myrtle Beach, SC

$304 12.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 37.5% $114

Eating Out

Myrtle Beach, SC

$304 12.4%

San Jose

$232 11% 23.5% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Myrtle Beach, SC

$117 4.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 48.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Myrtle Beach, SC

$74 3%

San Jose

$84 4% 13.7% $10

Getting Around

Myrtle Beach, SC

$14 * 0.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 474% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,510 in Myrtle Beach, SC 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.

Salaries in Myrtle Beach, SC are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Myrtle Beach, SC versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $374 in Myrtle Beach, SC vs $403 in San Jose – so Myrtle Beach, SC wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Myrtle Beach, SC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

10:19 10:19 AM

1 h behind Myrtle Beach, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,175

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

Myrtle Beach, SC San Jose 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Myrtle Beach, SC
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

Myrtle Beach, SC vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Myrtle Beach, SC is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,679 per month in Myrtle Beach, SC 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 $1,510 in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,453 in Myrtle Beach, SC and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 14% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,461 per month in Myrtle Beach, SC and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Myrtle Beach, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.