Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Bern, NC and San Jose

For one person, living costs are similar in New Bern, NC and in San Jose: $2,084 and $2,107 a month, rent and utilities included.

99

Cost of Living Index in New Bern, NC
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New Bern, NC Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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New Bern, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,084

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,084 per month in New Bern, NC vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

New Bern, NC $2,084
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,361 per month in New Bern, NC vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

New Bern, NC $3,361
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,638 per month in New Bern, NC vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

New Bern, NC $4,638
San Jose $4,054

New Bern, NC and San Jose have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both New Bern, NC and San Jose sit above the global median – New Bern, NC by 54%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.28 $18.28

$12.37 ₡5,563

47.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 $85.3

$62.4 ₡28.0K

36.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 $12.03

$11.71 ₡5,264

2.73%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$4.54 ₡2,040

15.20%

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

$2.79 $2.79

$2.75 ₡1,238

1.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.86 ₡837

25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 $6.06

$3.35 ₡1,505

80.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 $6.90

$4.32 ₡1,944

59.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.36 ₡1,061

-58.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.07 ₡1,379

8.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.51 ₡1,128

101.59%

Eggs

$3.47 $3.47

$3.53 ₡1,585

-1.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.03 $13.03

$10.54 ₡4,738

23.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.62 $10.62

$10.57 ₡4,754

0.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 $15.30

$13.92 ₡6,261

9.91%

Apples (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$5.20 ₡2,338

0.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.65 ₡740

-21.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$4.89 ₡2,198

-40.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$3.84 ₡1,728

42.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.91 ₡1,757

-28.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.76 ₡1,692

-24.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.12 ₡504

69.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$3.22 ₡1,447

-32.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.51 $7.51

$6.02 ₡2,706

24.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.84 $12.84

$19.84 ₡8,919

-35.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.81 ₡1,264

-36.30%

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)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.26 ₡1,018

52.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.78 ₡799

29.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.08 $32.08

$7.90 ₡3,551

306.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.50 ₡673

-44.67%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-14.77%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-43.37%

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

$155 $155

$93.2 ₡41.9K

66.69%

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

$72.6 $72.6

$36.13 ₡16.2K

101.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 $68.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

12.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 $55.3

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-19.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$11.35 $11.35

$7.67 ₡3,449

47.98%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 $60.7

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-14.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.16 $35.16

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-37.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 $85.8

$129 ₡57.8K

-33.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 $89.0

$131 ₡58.8K

-31.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 $1,156

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-1.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$889 $889

$943 ₡424.1K

-5.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,200 $2,200

$1,984 ₡892.0K

10.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 $1,908

$1,400 ₡629.5K

36.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,090 $2,090

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-22.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,034 $2,034

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-0.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,698 $3,698

$987 ₡443.6K

274.83%

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 New Bern, NC: 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

New Bern, NC

$889 42.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 6.1% $54

Groceries & Markets

New Bern, NC

$375 18%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 7.5% $28

Eating Out

New Bern, NC

$310 14.9%

San Jose

$232 11% 25% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Bern, NC

$296 14.2%

San Jose

$190 9% 35.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

New Bern, NC

$122 5.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 42.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

New Bern, NC

$78 3.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 8% $6.3

Getting Around

New Bern, NC

$15 * 0.7%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 440% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,156 in New Bern, NC 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 New Bern, NC are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in New Bern, NC versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $375 in New Bern, NC vs $403 in San Jose – so New Bern, NC wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Bern, NC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

1 h behind New Bern, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,291

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

New Bern, NC San Jose 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

New Bern, NC
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

New Bern, NC vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,126 per month in New Bern, NC and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,156 in New Bern, NC and $1,170 in San Jose. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 7% more in San Jose, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in New Bern, NC and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,084 in New Bern, NC and $2,107 in San Jose, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,084 in New Bern, NC to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.