Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Artesia, NM

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,398 in Artesia, NM, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Artesia, NM outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Artesia, NM
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Artesia, NM Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Artesia, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Artesia, NM

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Jose and in Artesia, NM actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,398 in Artesia, NM.

San Jose $2,107
Artesia, NM $2,398

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $3,235 in Artesia, NM.

San Jose $3,081
Artesia, NM $3,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $4,071 in Artesia, NM.

San Jose $4,054
Artesia, NM $4,071

Living in San Jose costs roughly 12% less than in Artesia, NM, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, Artesia, NM 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$16.23 $16.23

-23.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$47.57 $47.57

31.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$11.84 $11.84

-1.10%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$6.24 $6.24

-27.24%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.33 $2.33

18.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.59 $1.59

16.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$6.04 $6.04

-44.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$6.99 $6.99

-38.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$0.82 $0.82

187.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.88 $2.88

6.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$2.47 $2.47

1.62%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.40 $3.40

3.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$11.83 $11.83

-10.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$11.56 $11.56

-8.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$12.92 $12.92

7.74%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$3.53 $3.53

47.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.41 $1.41

17.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$2.50 $2.50

95.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.60 $3.60

6.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.16 $2.16

81.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.73 $2.73

37.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.77 $1.77

-36.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.64 $1.64

96.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$9.91 $9.91

-39.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$9.34 $9.34

112.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.10 $2.10

33.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$4.87 $4.87

-25.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.85 $1.85

-41.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$58.9 $58.9

10.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$1.70 $1.70

32.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.36 $1.36

30.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$26.83 $26.83

-70.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$0.96 $0.96

56.25%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$27.0K $27.0K

24.07%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$25.7K $25.7K

64.56%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$147 $147

-36.71%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$72.1 $72.1

-49.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$66.9 $66.9

-9.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$40.20 $40.20

71.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$7.79 $7.79

-1.54%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$696 $696

39.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$11.9K $11.9K

58.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$37.18 $37.18

89.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$36.45 $36.45

55.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$85.4 $85.4

50.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$81.4 $81.4

60.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,518 $1,518

-22.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,249 $1,249

-24.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,107 $2,107

-5.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,623 $1,623

-13.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$2,838 $2,838

-5.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$2,361 $2,361

-13.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$3,513 $3,513

-71.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.51

32.41%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Artesia, NM: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Artesia, NM

$1.2K 52.1% 32.4% $306

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Artesia, NM

$324 13.5% 19.5% $78

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Artesia, NM

$300 12.5% 29.1% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Artesia, NM

$286 11.9% 50.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Artesia, NM

$108 4.5% 37.8% $66

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Artesia, NM

$56 2.3% 33.8% $28

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Artesia, NM

$75 3.1% 7.4% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in San Jose and $1,518 in Artesia, NM. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Artesia, NM pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $48 in Artesia, NM for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $324 per month, with Artesia, NM cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Artesia, NM

🕒 Local time

08:39 8:39 AM

07:39 7:39 AM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

16,522

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Artesia, NM 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Artesia, NM

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

San Jose vs Artesia, NM: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Artesia, NM. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in San Jose. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,518 in Artesia, NM. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $972 in San Jose versus $696 in Artesia, NM. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Artesia, NM pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Artesia, NM on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.