Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rolla, MO and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,408 in Rolla, MO, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rolla, MO outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

118

Cost of Living Index in Rolla, MO
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Rolla, MO Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Rolla, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,408

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,408 in Rolla, MO versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Rolla, MO $2,408
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,725 in Rolla, MO versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Rolla, MO $2,725
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,042 in Rolla, MO versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Rolla, MO $3,042
San Jose $3,934

Living in Rolla, MO is roughly 24% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rolla, MO 78% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.13 $12.13

$12.38 ₡5,551

-2.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.90 $34.90

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-42.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 $9.15

$11.45 ₡5,135

-20.09%

Cappuccino

$4.06 $4.06

$4.39 ₡1,967

-7.52%

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

$1.96 $1.96

$2.70 ₡1,211

-27.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.93 ₡864

-36.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.20 ₡1,433

-4.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$4.41 ₡1,979

-10.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.44 ₡1,093

-58.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.05 ₡1,369

10.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.41 ₡1,081

-8.71%

Eggs

$1.42 $1.42

$3.40 ₡1,523

-58.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 $11.06

$10.75 ₡4,823

2.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 $8.87

$10.43 ₡4,679

-14.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.49 $7.49

$13.99 ₡6,273

-46.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$5.25 ₡2,353

-16.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.59 ₡712

-29.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$4.69 ₡2,103

-33.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$3.95 ₡1,770

13.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$3.92 ₡1,760

-57.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$3.68 ₡1,651

-35.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.12 ₡503

58.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$3.19 ₡1,429

-34.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.89 $4.89

$6.00 ₡2,692

-18.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 $4.97

$19.56 ₡8,771

-74.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.82 ₡1,263

-37.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$3.59 ₡1,611

23.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.12 ₡503

102.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.50 ₡1,119

18.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.63 ₡733

-14.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.78 $35.78

$8.50 ₡3,812

320.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.56 ₡701

-41.67%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

56.38%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-25.63%

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

$270 $270

$95.2 ₡42.7K

183.97%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$35.58 ₡16.0K

66.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.7 $71.7

$58.6 ₡26.3K

22.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.07 $41.07

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-43.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.13 $10.13

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-59.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 $10.02

$7.58 ₡3,401

32.19%

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

$770 $770

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-23.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K $25.8K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

50.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 $72.3

$70.5 ₡31.6K

2.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.93 $36.93

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-33.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 $79.8

$130 ₡58.2K

-38.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$131 ₡58.7K

-6.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$927 ₡415.8K

70.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,286 $1,286

$774 ₡347.2K

66.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 $1,085

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-44.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$834 $834

$1,288 ₡577.6K

-35.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,620 $2,620

$2,274 ₡1.0M

15.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,260 $2,260

$1,831 ₡821.0K

23.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,552 $4,552

$1,016 ₡455.8K

347.85%

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 Rolla, MO: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rolla, MO

$1.3K 53.4%

San Jose

$774 40% 39.8% $512

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rolla, MO

$401 16.7%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 52.8% $212

Groceries & Markets

Rolla, MO

$291 12.1%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 37.6% $110

Eating Out

Rolla, MO

$209 8.7%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 9.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Rolla, MO

$140 5.8%

San Jose

$174 9% 24.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Rolla, MO

$61 2.5%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 43.7% $27

Getting Around

Rolla, MO

$19 * 0.8%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 331% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,584 in Rolla, MO and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rolla, MO pays 348% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Rolla, MO vs $61.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $401 per month, with Rolla, MO cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rolla, MO

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

03:34 3:34 AM

1 h behind Rolla, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,943

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Rolla, MO San Jose 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rolla, MO
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

Rolla, MO vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rolla, MO and San Jose differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,408 vs $1,938 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 348% higher in Rolla, MO, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,584 in Rolla, MO versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rolla, MO pay roughly 38% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,408 per month in Rolla, MO versus $1,938 in San Jose – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,408 in Rolla, MO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Rolla, MO. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Rolla, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.