Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Castle, DE and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,646 in New Castle, DE, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in New Castle, DE
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New Castle, DE Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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New Castle, DE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,646

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,646 in New Castle, DE versus $2,107 in San Jose.

New Castle, DE $2,646
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,835 in New Castle, DE versus $3,081 in San Jose.

New Castle, DE $3,835
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,024 in New Castle, DE versus $4,054 in San Jose.

New Castle, DE $5,024
San Jose $4,054

Living in New Castle, DE is roughly 26% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New Castle, DE 96% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.87 $17.87

$12.37 ₡5,563

44.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 $90.4

$62.4 ₡28.0K

44.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 $10.73

$11.71 ₡5,264

-8.37%

Cappuccino

$5.31 $5.31

$4.54 ₡2,040

16.96%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$2.75 ₡1,238

10.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.86 ₡837

4.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 $6.88

$3.35 ₡1,505

105.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 $7.86

$4.32 ₡1,944

81.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.36 ₡1,061

-51.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.07 ₡1,379

29.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.51 ₡1,128

64.94%

Eggs

$4.82 $4.82

$3.53 ₡1,585

36.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 $12.89

$10.54 ₡4,738

22.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.84 $12.84

$10.57 ₡4,754

21.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.70 $18.70

$13.92 ₡6,261

34.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$5.20 ₡2,338

14.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.65 ₡740

-7.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.85 $5.85

$4.89 ₡2,198

19.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$3.84 ₡1,728

30.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.91 ₡1,757

-31.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.76 ₡1,692

-21.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.12 ₡504

109.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$3.22 ₡1,447

-27.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.72 $13.72

$6.02 ₡2,706

127.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.69 $15.69

$19.84 ₡8,919

-20.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.81 ₡1,264

-8.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$3.65 ₡1,643

3.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.08 ₡487

81.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 $60.4

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-7.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.26 ₡1,018

-18.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.78 ₡799

-25.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.21 $24.21

$7.90 ₡3,551

206.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.50 ₡673

-30.00%

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

$34.3K $34.3K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

2.49%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.25%

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

$213 $213

$93.2 ₡41.9K

128.75%

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

$66.9 $66.9

$36.13 ₡16.2K

85.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$60.6 ₡27.2K

13.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 $40.32

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-41.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.25 $14.25

$7.67 ₡3,449

85.79%

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

$1,944 $1,944

$972 ₡436.9K

100.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K $20.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

9.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 $52.4

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-25.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 $62.3

$56.7 ₡25.5K

9.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 $92.8

$129 ₡57.8K

-27.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$131 ₡58.8K

-15.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 $1,374

$1,170 ₡525.9K

17.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 $1,263

$943 ₡424.1K

33.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,058 $2,058

$1,984 ₡892.0K

3.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 $1,922

$1,400 ₡629.5K

37.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,119 $3,119

$2,681 ₡1.2M

16.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,099 $2,099

$2,037 ₡915.8K

3.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.9

8.62

-19.95%

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

Last update for New Castle, DE: 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 Castle, DE

$1.3K 47.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 25.3% $320

Groceries & Markets

New Castle, DE

$436 16.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 7.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Castle, DE

$349 13.2%

San Jose

$190 9% 45.6% $159

Eating Out

New Castle, DE

$309 11.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 24.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

New Castle, DE

$143 5.4%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 21.8% $31

Getting Around

New Castle, DE

$77 2.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 5.2% $4

Sport & Entertainment

New Castle, DE

$69 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 22.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,374 in New Castle, DE and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in New Castle, DE vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $436 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Castle, DE

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

13:12 1:12 PM

12:12 12:12 PM

1 h behind New Castle, DE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,926

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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Highest

Between locations

New Castle, DE San Jose 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

New Castle, DE
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 Castle, DE vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in New Castle, DE. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,969 in New Castle, DE and $3,161 in San Jose to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,374 in New Castle, DE versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,944 in New Castle, DE versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in New Castle, DE. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,646 in New Castle, DE, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in New Castle, DE. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.