Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Brunswick, NJ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,453 in North Brunswick, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in North Brunswick, NJ
Learn more

North Brunswick, NJ Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

North Brunswick, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,453

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in North Brunswick, NJ versus $2,107 in San Jose.

North Brunswick, NJ $2,453
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,704 in North Brunswick, NJ versus $3,081 in San Jose.

North Brunswick, NJ $3,704
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,955 in North Brunswick, NJ versus $4,054 in San Jose.

North Brunswick, NJ $4,955
San Jose $4,054

Living in North Brunswick, NJ is roughly 16% 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: North Brunswick, NJ 81% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$12.37 ₡5,563

63.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 $61.1

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-2.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.90 $11.90

$11.71 ₡5,264

1.62%

Cappuccino

$3.03 $3.03

$4.54 ₡2,040

-33.26%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$2.75 ₡1,238

-4.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.86 ₡837

-36.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 $6.69

$3.35 ₡1,505

99.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 $6.04

$4.32 ₡1,944

39.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.36 ₡1,061

-53.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$3.07 ₡1,379

-47.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$2.51 ₡1,128

127.09%

Eggs

$4.77 $4.77

$3.53 ₡1,585

35.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 $13.22

$10.54 ₡4,738

25.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.61 $16.61

$10.57 ₡4,754

57.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$13.92 ₡6,261

17.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$5.20 ₡2,338

-25.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.65 ₡740

15.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$4.89 ₡2,198

-13.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.15 $6.15

$3.84 ₡1,728

60.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.91 ₡1,757

-16.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.76 ₡1,692

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.12 ₡504

108.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$3.22 ₡1,447

-37.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.00 $15.00

$6.02 ₡2,706

149.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 $17.93

$19.84 ₡8,919

-9.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.81 ₡1,264

-6.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.65 ₡1,643

12.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.08 ₡487

79.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.6 $53.6

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-17.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.26 ₡1,018

35.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.78 ₡799

21.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.72 $42.72

$7.90 ₡3,551

440.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.50 ₡673

-28.00%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.74%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.88%

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

$128 $128

$93.2 ₡41.9K

36.88%

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

$47.11 $47.11

$36.13 ₡16.2K

30.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 $57.6

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-4.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.45 $38.45

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-44.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.03 $13.03

$7.67 ₡3,449

69.88%

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

$2,704 $2,704

$972 ₡436.9K

178.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K $15.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-19.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 $54.2

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-23.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-10.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$129 ₡57.8K

-6.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$131 ₡58.8K

2.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,555 $1,555

$1,170 ₡525.9K

32.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 $1,199

$943 ₡424.1K

27.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$1,984 ₡892.0K

25.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,160 $2,160

$1,400 ₡629.5K

54.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,084 $3,084

$2,681 ₡1.2M

15.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,485 $2,485

$2,037 ₡915.8K

22.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.01

8.62

-18.68%

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

Last update for North Brunswick, NJ: 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

North Brunswick, NJ

$1.2K 48.9%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 21.4% $256

Groceries & Markets

North Brunswick, NJ

$426 17.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 5.4% $23

Eating Out

North Brunswick, NJ

$295 12%

San Jose

$232 11% 21.1% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Brunswick, NJ

$232 9.5%

San Jose

$190 9% 18.2% $42

Clothing & Footwear

North Brunswick, NJ

$162 6.6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 7.6% $12

Getting Around

North Brunswick, NJ

$75 3.1%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 7.3% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

North Brunswick, NJ

$65 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 30.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,555 in North Brunswick, NJ and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in North Brunswick, NJ vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $426 vs $403, with San Jose cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 North Brunswick, NJ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

00:00 12:00 AM

1 h behind North Brunswick, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,905

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 = 0.891 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

North Brunswick, NJ San Jose 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

North Brunswick, NJ
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

North Brunswick, NJ vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $3,680 in North Brunswick, NJ 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: $1,555 in North Brunswick, NJ versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,704 in North Brunswick, NJ versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in North Brunswick, NJ runs roughly 18% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.