Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Platte, NE and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,357 in North Platte, NE, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in North Platte, NE outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

124

Cost of Living Index in North Platte, NE
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North Platte, NE Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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North Platte, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,357

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,357 per month in North Platte, NE vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

North Platte, NE $2,357
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,543 per month in North Platte, NE vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

North Platte, NE $3,543
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $4,729 per month in North Platte, NE vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

North Platte, NE $4,729
San Jose $3,929

North Platte, NE costs about 23% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both North Platte, NE and San Jose sit above the global median – North Platte, NE by 74%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 $19.09

$12.29 ₡5,513

55.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 $84.2

$62.3 ₡27.9K

35.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$11.53 ₡5,171

5.64%

Cappuccino

$5.27 $5.27

$4.35 ₡1,953

21.15%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$2.64 ₡1,183

15.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.86 ₡836

5.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.21 $6.21

$3.32 ₡1,490

87.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.89 $7.89

$4.52 ₡2,026

74.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.39 ₡1,073

-58.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.08 ₡1,381

16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.50 ₡1,119

98.80%

Eggs

$3.76 $3.76

$3.48 ₡1,562

8.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 $12.49

$10.74 ₡4,815

16.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.29 $10.29

$10.32 ₡4,629

-0.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.25 $16.25

$14.10 ₡6,325

15.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$5.03 ₡2,256

-9.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.59 ₡714

6.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$4.84 ₡2,171

-3.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.96 ₡1,776

15.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.76 ₡1,684

-19.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$3.73 ₡1,674

-25.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.08 ₡485

125.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$3.25 ₡1,456

-26.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.45 $9.45

$5.86 ₡2,627

61.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.24 $13.24

$20.28 ₡9,095

-34.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.90 ₡1,300

-40.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.73 ₡1,673

-11.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.08 ₡486

107.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.50 ₡1,123

6.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.63 ₡732

22.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.92 $25.92

$8.71 ₡3,904

197.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.58 ₡709

-32.91%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-16.83%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-31.38%

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

$189 $189

$93.7 ₡42.0K

101.95%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$35.42 ₡15.9K

45.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.0 $65.0

$60.0 ₡26.9K

8.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.51 $36.51

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-49.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$13.62 $13.62

$7.74 ₡3,471

75.97%

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

$1,240 $1,240

$1,005 ₡450.9K

23.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.6K $24.6K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

45.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 $52.0

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-28.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.52 $43.52

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-21.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 $97.4

$128 ₡57.5K

-24.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$130 ₡58.5K

-10.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 $1,564

$932 ₡418.0K

67.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 $1,120

$760 ₡340.8K

47.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,661 $2,661

$1,922 ₡862.0K

38.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,938 $1,938

$1,276 ₡572.1K

51.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,916 $1,916

$2,301 ₡1.0M

-16.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,873 $1,873

$1,833 ₡821.9K

2.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for North Platte, NE: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Platte, NE

$1.1K 47.5%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 32.1% $360

Groceries & Markets

North Platte, NE

$388 16.4%

San Jose

$403 21% 4% $16

Eating Out

North Platte, NE

$319 13.6%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 28.4% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Platte, NE

$306 13%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 38.1% $117

Clothing & Footwear

North Platte, NE

$139 5.9%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 25.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

North Platte, NE

$64 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 38.1% $24

Getting Around

North Platte, NE

$22 * 0.9%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 273% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,564 in North Platte, NE versus $932 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 $84.0 in North Platte, NE versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $388 in North Platte, NE vs $403 in San Jose – so North Platte, NE wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 North Platte, NE

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:31 4:31 AM

03:31 3:31 AM

1 h behind North Platte, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,386

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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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Highest

Between locations

North Platte, NE San Jose 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

North Platte, NE
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 Platte, NE vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,357 in North Platte, NE, $1,924 in San Jose – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,536 per month in North Platte, NE and $2,886 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 $2,357 in North Platte, NE and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 23%.

Kindergarten costs $1,240 per month in North Platte, NE and $1,005 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 $1,924, than in North Platte, NE at $2,357. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in North Platte, NE it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,924 in San Jose to $2,357 in North Platte, NE. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, North Platte, NE makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.