Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Joseph, MI and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Joseph, MI: $1,925 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Saint Joseph, MI
Learn more

Saint Joseph, MI Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Saint Joseph, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,925

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,925 per month in Saint Joseph, MI vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Saint Joseph, MI $1,925
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,077 per month in Saint Joseph, MI vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Saint Joseph, MI $3,077
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,229 per month in Saint Joseph, MI vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Saint Joseph, MI $4,229
San Jose $4,054

Saint Joseph, MI is about 9% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Saint Joseph, MI and San Jose sit above the global median – Saint Joseph, MI by 42%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.88 $13.88

$12.37 ₡5,563

12.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.8 $73.8

$62.4 ₡28.0K

18.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.10 $9.10

$11.71 ₡5,264

-22.29%

Cappuccino

$4.05 $4.05

$4.54 ₡2,040

-10.79%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$2.75 ₡1,238

9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.86 ₡837

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.92 $3.92

$3.35 ₡1,505

17.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$4.32 ₡1,944

17.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$2.36 ₡1,061

-65.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.07 ₡1,379

-10.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.51 ₡1,128

13.94%

Eggs

$3.65 $3.65

$3.53 ₡1,585

3.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.78 $7.78

$10.54 ₡4,738

-26.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.87 $10.87

$10.57 ₡4,754

2.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.57 $8.57

$13.92 ₡6,261

-38.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.76 $5.76

$5.20 ₡2,338

10.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.65 ₡740

4.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 $3.47

$4.89 ₡2,198

-29.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$3.84 ₡1,728

40.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$3.91 ₡1,757

-56.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$3.76 ₡1,692

-11.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.12 ₡504

43.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.22 ₡1,447

-21.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.12 $12.12

$6.02 ₡2,706

101.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.10 $8.10

$19.84 ₡8,919

-59.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.81 ₡1,264

-40.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.65 ₡1,643

-18.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.08 ₡487

61.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 $61.3

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-5.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.26 ₡1,018

61.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.78 ₡799

-15.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.27 $30.27

$7.90 ₡3,551

283.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.50 ₡673

-43.33%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-27.91%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.53%

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

$171 $171

$93.2 ₡41.9K

83.00%

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

$52.8 $52.8

$36.13 ₡16.2K

46.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 $50.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-16.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.48 $39.48

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-42.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$10.64 $10.64

$7.67 ₡3,449

38.72%

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

$1,518 $1,518

$972 ₡436.9K

56.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K $22.2K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

17.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.63 $39.63

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-43.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.78 $49.78

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-12.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 $73.7

$129 ₡57.8K

-42.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.7 $75.7

$131 ₡58.8K

-42.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,074 $1,074

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-8.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$843 $843

$943 ₡424.1K

-10.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,872 $1,872

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-5.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,788 $1,788

$1,400 ₡629.5K

27.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,543 $2,543

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-5.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,551 $2,551

$2,037 ₡915.8K

25.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,016 $5,016

$987 ₡443.6K

408.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.35

8.62

-26.33%

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

Last update for Saint Joseph, MI: November 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Joseph, MI

$843 43.8%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 11.8% $100

Groceries & Markets

Saint Joseph, MI

$324 16.8%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 24.2% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Joseph, MI

$274 14.2%

San Jose

$190 9% 30.6% $84

Eating Out

Saint Joseph, MI

$237 12.3%

San Jose

$232 11% 1.8% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Joseph, MI

$107 5.6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 62% $67

Getting Around

Saint Joseph, MI

$79 4.1%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 1.6% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Joseph, MI

$61 3.2%

San Jose

$84 4% 38.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,074 in Saint Joseph, MI 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 Saint Joseph, MI are about 5.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Saint Joseph, MI versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $324 in Saint Joseph, MI vs $403 in San Jose – so Saint Joseph, MI wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Joseph, MI

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

10:52 10:52 AM

1 h behind Saint Joseph, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,780

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

Saint Joseph, MI San Jose 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Joseph, MI
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

Saint Joseph, MI vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose costs about 9% more than Saint Joseph, MI, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,888 per month in Saint Joseph, MI and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,074 in Saint Joseph, MI and $1,170 in San Jose. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,925 in Saint Joseph, MI and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes Saint Joseph, MI about 9% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Saint Joseph, MI. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,925 in Saint Joseph, MI to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.