Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rocky Mount, NC and San Jose

For one person, living costs are similar in Rocky Mount, NC and in San Jose: $2,107 and $2,107 a month, rent and utilities included.

100

Cost of Living Index in Rocky Mount, NC
Learn more

Rocky Mount, NC Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Rocky Mount, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,107

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Rocky Mount, NC $2,107
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,236 per month in Rocky Mount, NC vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Rocky Mount, NC $3,236
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,364 per month in Rocky Mount, NC vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Rocky Mount, NC $4,364
San Jose $4,054

Rocky Mount, NC and San Jose have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.90 $17.90

$12.37 ₡5,563

44.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.3 $69.3

$62.4 ₡28.0K

11.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.48 $12.48

$11.71 ₡5,264

6.58%

Cappuccino

$4.80 $4.80

$4.54 ₡2,040

5.73%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$2.75 ₡1,238

-16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.86 ₡837

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 $5.83

$3.35 ₡1,505

74.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 $6.89

$4.32 ₡1,944

59.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.36 ₡1,061

-63.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.07 ₡1,379

18.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.51 ₡1,128

30.28%

Eggs

$3.88 $3.88

$3.53 ₡1,585

9.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.70 $12.70

$10.54 ₡4,738

20.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.69 $8.69

$10.57 ₡4,754

-17.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.00 $17.00

$13.92 ₡6,261

22.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$5.20 ₡2,338

-20.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.65 ₡740

36.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$4.89 ₡2,198

-13.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$3.84 ₡1,728

7.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$3.91 ₡1,757

-41.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.76 ₡1,692

-10.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.12 ₡504

66.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.22 ₡1,447

-31.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.68 $8.68

$6.02 ₡2,706

44.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 $15.10

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.81 ₡1,264

-43.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.65 ₡1,643

-16.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.08 ₡487

109.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.3 $51.3

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-21.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.26 ₡1,018

64.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.78 ₡799

-4.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.39 $24.39

$7.90 ₡3,551

208.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.50 ₡673

-29.33%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-20.51%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.19%

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

$184 $184

$93.2 ₡41.9K

97.91%

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

$68.7 $68.7

$36.13 ₡16.2K

90.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.3 $62.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

2.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.12 $44.12

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-35.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$7.67 ₡3,449

83.31%

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

$785 $785

$972 ₡436.9K

-19.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

34.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 $51.2

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-27.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.59 $37.59

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-33.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 $69.2

$129 ₡57.8K

-46.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$131 ₡58.8K

-10.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 $992

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-15.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$856 $856

$943 ₡424.1K

-9.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 $1,450

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-26.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 $1,617

$1,400 ₡629.5K

15.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,657 $1,657

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-38.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,714 $1,714

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-15.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,746 $2,746

$987 ₡443.6K

178.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

8.62

-26.22%

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

Last update for Rocky Mount, 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

Rocky Mount, NC

$856 40.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 10.1% $87

Groceries & Markets

Rocky Mount, NC

$370 17.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rocky Mount, NC

$315 15%

San Jose

$190 9% 39.8% $125

Eating Out

Rocky Mount, NC

$297 14.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 21.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Rocky Mount, NC

$124 5.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 40.5% $50

Getting Around

Rocky Mount, NC

$73 3.4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 11.2% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Rocky Mount, NC

$72 3.4%

San Jose

$84 4% 16.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $992 in Rocky Mount, 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 Rocky Mount, NC are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Rocky Mount, NC versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $370 in Rocky Mount, NC vs $403 in San Jose – so Rocky Mount, NC wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rocky Mount, NC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:59 7:59 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

1 h behind Rocky Mount, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,968

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rocky Mount, NC San Jose 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rocky Mount, 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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,160 per month in Rocky Mount, 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 Rocky Mount, NC, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $992 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Rocky Mount, NC and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Rocky Mount, NC. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,107 in Rocky Mount, NC and $2,107 in San Jose, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Rocky Mount, NC – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.