Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Raleigh, NC and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,607 in Raleigh, NC, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Raleigh, NC
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Raleigh, NC Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Raleigh, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,607 per month in Raleigh, NC vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Raleigh, NC $2,607
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,795 per month in Raleigh, NC vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Raleigh, NC $3,795
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,984 per month in Raleigh, NC vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Raleigh, NC $4,984
San Jose $4,054

Raleigh, NC costs about 24% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Raleigh, NC and San Jose sit above the global median – Raleigh, NC by 93%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.92 $21.92

$12.37 ₡5,563

77.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.9 $88.9

$62.4 ₡28.0K

42.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 $11.71

$11.71 ₡5,264

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$4.54 ₡2,040

23.57%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$2.75 ₡1,238

5.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.86 ₡837

19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.35 ₡1,505

75.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$4.32 ₡1,944

65.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$2.36 ₡1,061

-62.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 $3.81

$3.07 ₡1,379

24.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.51 ₡1,128

19.92%

Eggs

$4.67 $4.67

$3.53 ₡1,585

32.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.17 $15.17

$10.54 ₡4,738

43.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.20 $10.20

$10.57 ₡4,754

-3.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 $17.76

$13.92 ₡6,261

27.59%

Apples (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$5.20 ₡2,338

29.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.65 ₡740

-24.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$4.89 ₡2,198

-9.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$3.84 ₡1,728

48.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.91 ₡1,757

-24.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.76 ₡1,692

-3.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.12 ₡504

94.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.22 ₡1,447

-33.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.61 $8.61

$6.02 ₡2,706

43.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 $15.16

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.81 ₡1,264

-20.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.65 ₡1,643

-27.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.08 ₡487

12.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.44 $40.44

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-38.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.26 ₡1,018

28.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.78 ₡799

6.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.93 $17.93

$7.90 ₡3,551

126.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.50 ₡673

-30.67%

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

$31.1K $31.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-7.17%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.35%

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

$186 $186

$93.2 ₡41.9K

99.24%

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

$56.5 $56.5

$36.13 ₡16.2K

56.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.9 $67.9

$60.6 ₡27.2K

12.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.33 $33.33

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-51.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.72 $5.72

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-77.06%

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$7.67 ₡3,449

92.44%

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

$1,315 $1,315

$972 ₡436.9K

35.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K $24.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

28.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 $55.3

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-21.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 $55.0

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-2.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 $93.4

$129 ₡57.8K

-27.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$131 ₡58.8K

8.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,672 $1,672

$1,170 ₡525.9K

42.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 $1,267

$943 ₡424.1K

34.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,821 $2,821

$1,984 ₡892.0K

42.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,933 $1,933

$1,400 ₡629.5K

38.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,477 $4,477

$2,681 ₡1.2M

66.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,148 $2,148

$2,037 ₡915.8K

5.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,513 $4,513

$987 ₡443.6K

357.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

8.62

-21.46%

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

Last update for Raleigh, NC: 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

Raleigh, NC

$1.3K 48.6%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 25.6% $324

Groceries & Markets

Raleigh, NC

$412 15.8%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 2.3% $9.4

Eating Out

Raleigh, NC

$342 13.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 32% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Raleigh, NC

$310 11.9%

San Jose

$190 9% 38.7% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Raleigh, NC

$155 6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 12% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Raleigh, NC

$63 2.4%

San Jose

$84 4% 34.1% $21

Getting Around

Raleigh, NC

$58 2.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 39.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,672 in Raleigh, NC versus $1,170 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 in Raleigh, NC are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Raleigh, NC versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $412 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Raleigh, NC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

19:58 7:58 PM

1 h behind Raleigh, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

431,746

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 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 November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 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

Raleigh, NC San Jose 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Raleigh, NC
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

Raleigh, NC vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Raleigh, NC costs about 24% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,911 per month in Raleigh, NC and $3,161 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,672 in Raleigh, NC.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,607 in Raleigh, NC and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 19% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,315 per month in Raleigh, NC and $972 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 $2,107, than in Raleigh, NC at $2,607. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Raleigh, NC 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Raleigh, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.