Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Little Rock, AR and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,560 in North Little Rock, AR, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in North Little Rock, AR outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

Cost of Living Index in North Little Rock, AR
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North Little Rock, AR Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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North Little Rock, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,560

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,560 per month in North Little Rock, AR vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

North Little Rock, AR $2,560
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $3,762 per month in North Little Rock, AR vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

North Little Rock, AR $3,762
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $4,964 per month in North Little Rock, AR vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

North Little Rock, AR $4,964
San Jose $3,934

North Little Rock, AR costs about 32% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both North Little Rock, AR and San Jose sit above the global median – North Little Rock, AR by 90%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.13 $19.13

$12.38 ₡5,568

54.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.8 $74.8

$60.9 ₡27.4K

22.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 $11.17

$11.45 ₡5,151

-2.45%

Cappuccino

$5.10 $5.10

$4.39 ₡1,973

16.17%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$2.70 ₡1,215

-4.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.93 ₡866

6.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.15 $6.15

$3.20 ₡1,438

92.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.02 $7.02

$4.41 ₡1,985

59.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.44 ₡1,096

-58.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 $3.42

$3.05 ₡1,373

12.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.41 ₡1,084

82.99%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$3.40 ₡1,528

20.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.50 $12.50

$10.75 ₡4,838

16.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 $11.62

$10.43 ₡4,694

11.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.58 $15.58

$13.99 ₡6,293

11.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$5.25 ₡2,360

-8.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.59 ₡714

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$4.69 ₡2,109

-7.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$3.95 ₡1,776

16.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.92 ₡1,765

-25.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.68 ₡1,657

-23.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.12 ₡504

88.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.19 ₡1,434

-31.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.69 $9.69

$6.00 ₡2,700

61.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.22 $14.22

$19.56 ₡8,798

-27.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.82 ₡1,267

-36.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$3.59 ₡1,616

-8.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.12 ₡504

83.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.50 ₡1,123

38.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.63 ₡735

1.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.36 $29.36

$8.50 ₡3,823

245.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.56 ₡703

-42.95%

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

$29.1K $29.1K

$22.4K ₡10.1M

29.76%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-28.19%

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

$188 $188

$95.2 ₡42.8K

96.96%

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

$52.3 $52.3

$35.58 ₡16.0K

46.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$58.6 ₡26.4K

15.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.86 $43.86

$72.7 ₡32.7K

-39.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.29 $13.29

$7.58 ₡3,412

75.33%

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

$1,315 $1,315

$1,001 ₡450.4K

31.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

35.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 $50.3

$70.5 ₡31.7K

-28.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 $40.56

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-27.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$130 ₡58.4K

-32.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$131 ₡58.8K

-13.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 $1,618

$927 ₡417.1K

74.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 $1,332

$774 ₡348.3K

71.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 $2,603

$1,967 ₡884.7K

32.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,238 $2,238

$1,288 ₡579.4K

73.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,791 $2,791

$2,274 ₡1.0M

22.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,474 $2,474

$1,831 ₡823.5K

35.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡457.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for North Little Rock, AR: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Little Rock, AR

$1.3K 52%

San Jose

$774 40% 41.9% $557

Groceries & Markets

North Little Rock, AR

$388 15.2%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 3.4% $13

Eating Out

North Little Rock, AR

$311 12.2%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 26.3% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Little Rock, AR

$308 12%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 38.5% $118

Clothing & Footwear

North Little Rock, AR

$131 5.1%

San Jose

$174 9% 32.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

North Little Rock, AR

$70 2.8%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 24.7% $17

Getting Around

North Little Rock, AR

$20 * 0.8%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 311% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,618 in North Little Rock, AR 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in North Little Rock, AR versus $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $388 in North Little Rock, AR vs $401 in San Jose – so North Little Rock, AR wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 North Little Rock, AR

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

1 h behind North Little Rock, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,591

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 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 October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 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

North Little Rock, AR San Jose 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

North Little Rock, AR
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 Little Rock, AR vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – North Little Rock, AR is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,840 per month in North Little Rock, AR 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in North Little Rock, AR and $61.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in North Little Rock, AR – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,938, than in North Little Rock, AR at $2,560. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in North Little Rock, AR 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, North Little Rock, AR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.