Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,448 in New Castle, PA, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in New Castle, PA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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New Castle, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,448

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,448 in New Castle, PA versus $2,107 in San Jose.

New Castle, PA $2,448
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,567 in New Castle, PA versus $3,081 in San Jose.

New Castle, PA $3,567
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,686 in New Castle, PA versus $4,054 in San Jose.

New Castle, PA $4,686
San Jose $4,054

Living in New Castle, PA is roughly 16% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New Castle, PA 81% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.08 $15.08

$12.37 ₡5,563

21.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 $54.9

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-12.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 $11.77

$11.71 ₡5,264

0.51%

Cappuccino

$4.20 $4.20

$4.54 ₡2,040

-7.49%

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

$2.22 $2.22

$2.75 ₡1,238

-19.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.86 ₡837

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.35 ₡1,505

1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$4.32 ₡1,944

-28.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$2.36 ₡1,061

-61.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.07 ₡1,379

-10.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.45 $6.45

$2.51 ₡1,128

156.97%

Eggs

$3.10 $3.10

$3.53 ₡1,585

-12.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.86 $12.86

$10.54 ₡4,738

22.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.32 $11.32

$10.57 ₡4,754

7.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.14 $16.14

$13.92 ₡6,261

15.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$5.20 ₡2,338

-28.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.65 ₡740

56.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$4.89 ₡2,198

-1.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.84 ₡1,728

30.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.91 ₡1,757

-42.97%

Onion (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.76 ₡1,692

21.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.12 ₡504

78.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$3.22 ₡1,447

-42.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.91 $8.91

$6.02 ₡2,706

48.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.22 $11.22

$19.84 ₡8,919

-43.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.81 ₡1,264

8.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$3.65 ₡1,643

-9.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.08 ₡487

59.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 $66.4

$65.2 ₡29.3K

1.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.26 ₡1,018

44.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.78 ₡799

10.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.64 $32.64

$7.90 ₡3,551

313.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.50 ₡673

-36.67%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-18.25%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-33.53%

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

$98.6 $98.6

$93.2 ₡41.9K

5.79%

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

$54.1 $54.1

$36.13 ₡16.2K

49.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.2 $67.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

10.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.07 $36.07

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-47.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$15.18 $15.18

$7.67 ₡3,449

97.91%

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

$202 $202

$972 ₡436.9K

-79.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,800 $8,800

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-53.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.57 $47.57

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-32.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.33 $40.33

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-28.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 $85.8

$129 ₡57.8K

-33.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$131 ₡58.8K

7.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 $1,588

$1,170 ₡525.9K

35.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 $1,298

$943 ₡424.1K

37.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 $2,529

$1,984 ₡892.0K

27.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 $2,128

$1,400 ₡629.5K

51.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,109 $3,109

$2,681 ₡1.2M

15.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,375 $2,375

$2,037 ₡915.8K

16.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.03

8.62

-18.45%

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

Last update for New Castle, PA: November 1, 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, PA

$1.3K 53%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 27.3% $355

Groceries & Markets

New Castle, PA

$387 15.8%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 3.9% $15

Eating Out

New Castle, PA

$248 10.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 6.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Castle, PA

$220 9%

San Jose

$190 9% 13.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

New Castle, PA

$142 5.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 22.8% $32

Getting Around

New Castle, PA

$86 3.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 6.6% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

New Castle, PA

$66 2.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 26.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,588 in New Castle, PA and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in New Castle, PA vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $403 per month, with New Castle, PA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Castle, PA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

16:17 4:17 PM

1 h behind New Castle, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,926

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

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Between locations

New Castle, PA San Jose 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

San Jose is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,672 in New Castle, PA 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: $1,588 in New Castle, PA versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $202 in New Castle, PA versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in New Castle, PA – a meal for two runs $55 versus $62 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.