Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Bismarck, ND

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,403 in Bismarck, ND, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Bismarck, ND
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Bismarck, ND Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Bismarck, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,403

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Bismarck, ND

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 Bismarck, ND actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,403 in Bismarck, ND.

San Jose $1,924
Bismarck, ND $2,403

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,926 in San Jose versus $3,341 in Bismarck, ND.

San Jose $2,926
Bismarck, ND $3,341

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,929 in San Jose versus $4,278 in Bismarck, ND.

San Jose $3,929
Bismarck, ND $4,278

Living in San Jose costs roughly 20% less than in Bismarck, ND, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 42% above, Bismarck, ND 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,513

$30.19 $30.19

-59.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡27.9K

$69.8 $69.8

-10.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 ₡5,171

$17.41 $17.41

-33.77%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,953

$6.22 $6.22

-30.06%

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

$2.64 ₡1,183

$2.50 $2.50

5.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡836

$1.89 $1.89

-1.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,490

$5.55 $5.55

-40.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,026

$6.99 $6.99

-35.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$1.03 $1.03

132.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,381

$2.69 $2.69

14.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.08 $2.08

20.19%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,562

$2.73 $2.73

27.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,815

$7.70 $7.70

39.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,629

$13.21 $13.21

-21.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,325

$15.90 $15.90

-11.32%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,256

$3.47 $3.47

44.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$1.73 $1.73

-8.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 ₡2,171

$2.96 $2.96

63.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,776

$4.27 $4.27

-7.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,684

$1.89 $1.89

98.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$2.80 $2.80

33.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡485

$2.19 $2.19

-50.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,456

$2.69 $2.69

20.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,627

$8.74 $8.74

-32.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 ₡9,095

$19.97 $19.97

1.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.91 $1.91

51.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ₡1,673

$4.05 $4.05

-7.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡709

$0.97 $0.97

62.89%

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

$33.6K ₡15.1M

$26.5K $26.5K

26.77%

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

$41.7K ₡18.7M

$22.5K $22.5K

85.14%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$208 $208

-55.02%

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

$35.42 ₡15.9K

$71.8 $71.8

-50.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡26.9K

$82.1 $82.1

-26.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$41.78 $41.78

73.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,471

$10.89 $10.89

-28.93%

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

$1,005 ₡450.9K

$804 $804

25.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 ₡32.8K

$65.1 $65.1

12.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$95.2 $95.2

34.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.5K

$81.2 $81.2

60.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ₡418.0K

$1,171 $1,171

-20.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡340.8K

$1,077 $1,077

-29.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

$1,628 $1,628

18.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

$1,428 $1,428

-10.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.0M

$2,226 $2,226

3.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ₡821.9K

$2,054 $2,054

-10.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

$4,393 $4,393

-76.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.84

26.02%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Last update for Bismarck, ND: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$760 39.5%

Bismarck, ND

$1.1K 44.8% 41.7% $317

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 21%

Bismarck, ND

$364 15.2% 9.7% $39

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.9%

Bismarck, ND

$428 17.8% 86.8% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Bismarck, ND

$362 15.1% 91.5% $173

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9.1%

Bismarck, ND

$109 * 4.5% 37.6% $66

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Bismarck, ND

$64 2.7% 27.8% $25

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.2%

Bismarck, ND

- * 0% 100%

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 $932 in San Jose and $1,171 in Bismarck, ND. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bismarck, ND pays 327% 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: $62.0 in San Jose vs $70.0 in Bismarck, ND. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $364, with Bismarck, ND cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Bismarck, ND

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

04:29 4:29 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

58,333

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Jose Bismarck, ND 4,390 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Bismarck, ND

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 Bismarck, ND: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose and Bismarck, ND differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,924 vs $2,403 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 327% lower in Bismarck, ND. 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: $932 in San Jose versus $1,171 in Bismarck, ND. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,005 in San Jose versus $804 in Bismarck, ND. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $70.0 in Bismarck, ND. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,403 in Bismarck, ND, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Bismarck, ND. 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.

Safety-wise, San Jose and Bismarck, ND are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Bismarck, ND. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.