Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Norman, OK and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,497 in Norman, OK, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Norman, OK
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Norman, OK Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Norman, OK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,497

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,497 per month in Norman, OK vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Norman, OK $2,497
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $3,466 per month in Norman, OK vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Norman, OK $3,466
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $4,435 per month in Norman, OK vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Norman, OK $4,435
San Jose $3,934

Norman, OK costs about 29% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Norman, OK and San Jose sit above the global median – Norman, OK by 85%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.09 $20.09

$12.38 ₡5,551

62.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 $60.3

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-0.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 $11.86

$11.45 ₡5,135

3.58%

Cappuccino

$6.31 $6.31

$4.39 ₡1,967

43.74%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$2.70 ₡1,211

8.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.93 ₡864

22.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.37 $5.37

$3.20 ₡1,433

67.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 $7.83

$4.41 ₡1,979

77.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.44 ₡1,093

-61.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.05 ₡1,369

15.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.41 ₡1,081

57.26%

Eggs

$3.72 $3.72

$3.40 ₡1,523

9.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 $10.75

$10.75 ₡4,823

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.95 $10.95

$10.43 ₡4,679

4.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.70 $19.70

$13.99 ₡6,273

40.81%

Apples (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$5.25 ₡2,353

-3.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.59 ₡712

15.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$4.69 ₡2,103

-1.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.95 ₡1,770

-1.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.92 ₡1,760

-32.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.68 ₡1,651

-17.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.12 ₡503

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.19 ₡1,429

-22.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.48 $9.48

$6.00 ₡2,692

58.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.87 $13.87

$19.56 ₡8,771

-29.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.82 ₡1,263

-35.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.59 ₡1,611

-8.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.50 ₡1,119

6.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.63 ₡733

-22.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.95 $23.95

$8.50 ₡3,812

181.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.56 ₡701

-37.18%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

59.84%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-26.83%

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

$194 $194

$95.2 ₡42.7K

103.53%

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

$84.5 $84.5

$35.58 ₡16.0K

137.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.1 $85.1

$58.6 ₡26.3K

45.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.70 $45.70

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-37.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$15.03 $15.03

$7.58 ₡3,401

98.28%

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

$1,594 $1,594

$1,001 ₡449.0K

59.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

39.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-23.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.43 $41.43

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-25.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$130 ₡58.2K

-16.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$131 ₡58.7K

7.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$927 ₡415.8K

37.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 $1,167

$774 ₡347.2K

50.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,727 $1,727

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-12.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,593 $1,593

$1,288 ₡577.6K

23.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,796 $3,796

$1,016 ₡455.8K

273.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

8.62

-23.20%

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

Last update for Norman, OK: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Norman, OK

$1.2K 46.7%

San Jose

$774 40% 33.7% $393

Groceries & Markets

Norman, OK

$391 15.7%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 2.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Norman, OK

$363 14.6%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 47.9% $174

Eating Out

Norman, OK

$336 13.5%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 31.7% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Norman, OK

$155 6.2%

San Jose

$174 9% 12.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Norman, OK

$76 3%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 15.9% $12

Getting Around

Norman, OK

$9 * 0.4%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 812% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,274 in Norman, OK versus $927 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 run about 274% higher in Norman, OK, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Norman, OK versus $61.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $391 vs $401 – making Norman, OK the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Norman, OK

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:13 4:13 AM

03:13 3:13 AM

1 h behind Norman, OK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

102,827

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Norman, OK San Jose 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Norman, OK
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

Norman, OK vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Norman, OK is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,745 per month in Norman, OK and $2,907 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,497 in Norman, OK and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 29%.

Kindergarten costs $1,594 per month in Norman, OK and $1,001 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,938, than in Norman, OK at $2,497. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Norman, OK it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Norman, OK makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.