Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North East, MD and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,478 in North East, MD, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in North East, MD outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

Cost of Living Index in North East, MD
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North East, MD Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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North East, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,478

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,478 in North East, MD versus $2,107 in San Jose.

North East, MD $2,478
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,776 in North East, MD versus $3,081 in San Jose.

North East, MD $3,776
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,074 in North East, MD versus $4,054 in San Jose.

North East, MD $5,074
San Jose $4,054

Living in North East, MD is roughly 18% 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 East, MD 83% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.22 $15.22

$12.37 ₡5,563

23.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 $74.3

$62.4 ₡28.0K

19.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.36 $10.36

$11.71 ₡5,264

-11.53%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$4.54 ₡2,040

20.70%

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

$2.26 $2.26

$2.75 ₡1,238

-17.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.86 ₡837

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 $6.81

$3.35 ₡1,505

103.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 $4.47

$4.32 ₡1,944

3.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.36 ₡1,061

-52.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.07 ₡1,379

-3.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.51 ₡1,128

9.16%

Eggs

$3.86 $3.86

$3.53 ₡1,585

9.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 $9.63

$10.54 ₡4,738

-8.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 $9.19

$10.57 ₡4,754

-13.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.42 $18.42

$13.92 ₡6,261

32.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$5.20 ₡2,338

-8.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.65 ₡740

-23.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.89 ₡2,198

-11.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.84 ₡1,728

4.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$3.91 ₡1,757

-33.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$3.76 ₡1,692

-33.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.12 ₡504

136.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$3.22 ₡1,447

-45.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.65 $13.65

$6.02 ₡2,706

126.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.66 $14.66

$19.84 ₡8,919

-26.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.81 ₡1,264

-12.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.65 ₡1,643

-0.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.08 ₡487

89.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.5 $58.5

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-10.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.26 ₡1,018

75.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.78 ₡799

-14.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.51 $27.51

$7.90 ₡3,551

248.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.50 ₡673

-30.00%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

2.28%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.63%

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

$291 $291

$93.2 ₡41.9K

212.54%

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

$51.2 $51.2

$36.13 ₡16.2K

41.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.5 $59.5

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-1.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.76 $42.76

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-37.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$16.26 $16.26

$7.67 ₡3,449

111.99%

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

$1,894 $1,894

$972 ₡436.9K

94.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.1K $26.1K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

38.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.98 $45.98

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-34.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.63 $40.63

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-28.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 $88.8

$129 ₡57.8K

-31.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$131 ₡58.8K

2.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 $1,474

$1,170 ₡525.9K

26.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,146 $1,146

$943 ₡424.1K

21.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,881 $2,881

$1,984 ₡892.0K

45.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,252 $2,252

$1,400 ₡629.5K

60.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,924 $2,924

$2,681 ₡1.2M

9.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,432 $2,432

$2,037 ₡915.8K

19.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

8.62

-25.06%

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

Last update for North East, MD: 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 East, MD

$1.1K 46.3%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 17.7% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North East, MD

$402 16.2%

San Jose

$190 9% 52.8% $212

Groceries & Markets

North East, MD

$359 14.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 12% $43

Eating Out

North East, MD

$278 11.2%

San Jose

$232 11% 16.3% $45

Clothing & Footwear

North East, MD

$139 5.6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 25.1% $35

Getting Around

North East, MD

$78 3.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 3.1% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

North East, MD

$75 3%

San Jose

$84 4% 11.9% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,474 in North East, MD and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74 in North East, MD vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $359 vs $403, with North East, MD cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 North East, MD

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

11:00 11:00 AM

1 h behind North East, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,600

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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Between locations

North East, MD San Jose 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

North East, MD
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 East, MD vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in North East, MD. 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 $3,717 in North East, MD 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: $1,474 in North East, MD versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,478 per month in North East, MD versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in North East, MD runs roughly 10% 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.