Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Brookings, SD

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,592 in Brookings, SD, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brookings, SD outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Brookings, SD
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Brookings, SD Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Brookings, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Brookings, SD

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 Brookings, SD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,924 per month in San Jose vs $2,592 in Brookings, SD, rent included.

San Jose $1,924
Brookings, SD $2,592

A couple spends around $2,926 per month in San Jose vs $3,536 in Brookings, SD, rent included.

San Jose $2,926
Brookings, SD $3,536

A family of three spends $3,929 per month in San Jose vs $4,480 in Brookings, SD, rent included.

San Jose $3,929
Brookings, SD $4,480

San Jose is about 26% cheaper than Brookings, SD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Jose and Brookings, SD sit above the global median – San Jose by 42%, Brookings, SD by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,513

$17.52 $17.52

-29.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡27.9K

$39.50 $39.50

57.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 ₡5,171

$11.37 $11.37

1.41%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,953

$4.59 $4.59

-5.23%

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

$2.64 ₡1,183

$2.52 $2.52

4.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡836

$1.96 $1.96

-5.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,490

$6.08 $6.08

-45.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,026

$7.03 $7.03

-35.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$0.84 $0.84

184.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,381

$3.49 $3.49

-11.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$6.54 $6.54

-61.77%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,562

$3.56 $3.56

-2.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,815

$10.38 $10.38

3.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,629

$13.83 $13.83

-25.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,325

$13.02 $13.02

8.29%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,256

$5.92 $5.92

-15.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$1.83 $1.83

-13.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 ₡2,171

$6.55 $6.55

-26.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,776

$5.21 $5.21

-23.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,684

$4.39 $4.39

-14.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$4.11 $4.11

-9.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡485

$2.36 $2.36

-54.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,456

$1.95 $1.95

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,627

$13.03 $13.03

-55.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 ₡9,095

$11.88 $11.88

70.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.86 $2.86

1.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ₡1,673

$5.76 $5.76

-35.24%

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

$5.03 $5.03

-50.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

$1.68 $1.68

-2.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

$23.76 $23.76

-63.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡709

$1.03 $1.03

53.40%

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

$33.6K ₡15.1M

$30.2K $30.2K

11.34%

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

$41.7K ₡18.7M

$26.3K $26.3K

58.30%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$178 $178

-47.43%

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

$35.42 ₡15.9K

$54.1 $54.1

-34.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡26.9K

$70.7 $70.7

-15.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,471

$11.83 $11.83

-34.57%

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

$1,005 ₡450.9K

$1,338 $1,338

-24.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$36.3K $36.3K

-53.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 ₡32.8K

$42.60 $42.60

71.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$34.98 $34.98

58.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$88.0 $88.0

45.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.5K

$104 $104

25.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ₡418.0K

$1,663 $1,663

-43.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡340.8K

$1,419 $1,419

-46.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

$2,083 $2,083

-7.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

$2,037 $2,037

-37.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.0M

$2,622 $2,622

-12.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ₡821.9K

$2,872 $2,872

-36.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.5

56.73%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Last update for Brookings, SD: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$760 39.5%

Brookings, SD

$1.4K 54.8% 86.7% $659

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 21%

Brookings, SD

$420 16.2% 4.1% $16

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.9%

Brookings, SD

$292 11.3% 27.5% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Brookings, SD

$303 11.7% 60.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9.1%

Brookings, SD

$121 4.7% 30.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Brookings, SD

$24 * 0.9% 73.1% $64

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.2%

Brookings, SD

$13 * 0.5% 83.3% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $932 in San Jose versus $1,663 in Brookings, SD. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in San Jose versus $39.00 in Brookings, SD. Groceries tell a different story – $403 in San Jose vs $420 in Brookings, SD – so San Jose wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Brookings, SD

🕒 Local time

04:55 4:55 AM

05:55 5:55 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

18,802

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Brookings, SD 4,010 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Brookings, SD

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 Brookings, SD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brookings, SD costs about 35% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,886 per month in San Jose and $3,888 in Brookings, SD. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in San Jose and $39.00 in Brookings, SD. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Brookings, SD, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Brookings, SD at $2,592. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brookings, SD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $1,924 versus $2,592 in Brookings, SD. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brookings, SD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.