Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newport, RI and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,643 in Newport, RI, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

176

Cost of Living Index in Newport, RI
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Newport, RI Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Newport, RI

🇺🇸 United States

$3,643

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,643 in Newport, RI versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Newport, RI $3,643
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,642 in Newport, RI versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Newport, RI $4,642
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,641 in Newport, RI versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Newport, RI $5,641
San Jose $4,054

Living in Newport, RI is roughly 73% 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: Newport, RI 169% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.78 $19.78

$12.37 ₡5,563

59.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.4 $75.4

$62.4 ₡28.0K

20.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.15 $13.15

$11.71 ₡5,264

12.30%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$4.54 ₡2,040

12.11%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$2.75 ₡1,238

0.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.86 ₡837

32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 $6.13

$3.35 ₡1,505

82.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.48 $8.48

$4.32 ₡1,944

96.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.36 ₡1,061

-57.20%

White Bread (500g)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.07 ₡1,379

45.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$16.49 $16.49

$2.51 ₡1,128

556.97%

Eggs

$6.39 $6.39

$3.53 ₡1,585

81.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 $10.61

$10.54 ₡4,738

0.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 $10.73

$10.57 ₡4,754

1.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.77 $18.77

$13.92 ₡6,261

34.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 $5.61

$5.20 ₡2,338

7.88%

Banana (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$1.65 ₡740

167.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$4.89 ₡2,198

-33.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$3.84 ₡1,728

-18.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$3.91 ₡1,757

-42.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$3.76 ₡1,692

-36.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.12 ₡504

136.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.22 ₡1,447

-9.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 $13.89

$6.02 ₡2,706

130.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.04 $17.04

$19.84 ₡8,919

-14.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.81 ₡1,264

-32.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.65 ₡1,643

-21.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.08 ₡487

89.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.1 $69.1

$65.2 ₡29.3K

5.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.26 ₡1,018

61.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.78 ₡799

21.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$47.18 $47.18

$7.90 ₡3,551

497.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.50 ₡673

-30.67%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-17.42%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.49%

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

$202 $202

$93.2 ₡41.9K

116.36%

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

$37.30 $37.30

$36.13 ₡16.2K

3.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.7 $60.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

0.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 $91.4

$68.9 ₡31.0K

32.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$12.56 $12.56

$7.67 ₡3,449

63.75%

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

$2,164 $2,164

$972 ₡436.9K

122.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.9K $33.9K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

79.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.27 $39.27

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-44.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.14 $16.14

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-71.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$129 ₡57.8K

-21.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,521 $2,521

$1,170 ₡525.9K

115.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,259 $2,259

$943 ₡424.1K

139.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,573 $3,573

$1,984 ₡892.0K

80.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,620 $2,620

$1,400 ₡629.5K

87.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,279 $8,279

$2,681 ₡1.2M

208.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,092 $5,092

$2,037 ₡915.8K

150.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,851 $2,851

$987 ₡443.6K

189.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.24

8.62

-27.61%

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

Last update for Newport, RI: 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

Newport, RI

$2.3K 62%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 58.2% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Newport, RI

$478 13.1%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 15.7% $75

Eating Out

Newport, RI

$327 9%

San Jose

$232 11% 29% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newport, RI

$300 8.2%

San Jose

$190 9% 36.6% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Newport, RI

$117 3.2%

San Jose

$84 4% 27.7% $32

Getting Around

Newport, RI

$92 2.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 12.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Newport, RI

$70 * 1.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 147% $104

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,521 in Newport, RI and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Newport, RI pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Newport, RI vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $478 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newport, RI

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

14:34 2:34 PM

1 h behind Newport, RI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,409

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Newport, RI San Jose 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Newport, RI
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

Newport, RI vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Newport, RI. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Newport, RI is about 2.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,521 in Newport, RI versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Newport, RI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $75 in Newport, RI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,643 in Newport, RI, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Newport, RI. 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Newport, RI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.