Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Butte, MT

For one person, living is cheaper in Butte, MT: $1,847 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Butte, MT
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Butte, MT Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Butte, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$1,847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Butte, MT

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 Butte, MT actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $1,847 in Butte, MT, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
Butte, MT $1,847

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $2,811 in Butte, MT, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
Butte, MT $2,811

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $3,775 in Butte, MT, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
Butte, MT $3,775

San Jose costs about 14% more than Butte, MT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Jose and Butte, MT sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, Butte, MT by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$14.93 $14.93

-17.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$59.1 $59.1

5.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$9.39 $9.39

24.71%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$4.27 $4.27

6.32%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.09 $2.09

31.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$2.36 $2.36

-21.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$2.97 $2.97

12.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$5.10 $5.10

-15.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.13 $1.13

108.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.52 $2.52

21.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$4.84 $4.84

-48.14%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.93 $3.93

-10.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$6.70 $6.70

57.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$7.33 $7.33

44.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$19.18 $19.18

-27.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$4.90 $4.90

6.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.48 $1.48

11.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$1.73 $1.73

182.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$2.19 $2.19

75.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$0.56 $0.56

598.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.18 $2.18

72.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.77 $1.77

-36.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.54 $1.54

109.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$8.08 $8.08

-25.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$9.64 $9.64

105.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$1.95 $1.95

44.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$2.21 $2.21

65.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$4.87 $4.87

-53.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$0.65 $0.65

173.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$10.20 $10.20

-22.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.09 $1.09

37.61%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$32.6K $32.6K

2.82%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$24.2K $24.2K

74.96%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$137 $137

-32.10%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$24.89 $24.89

45.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$69.9 $69.9

-13.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$10.44 $10.44

-26.53%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$1,992 $1,992

-51.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$17.4K $17.4K

8.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$64.9 $64.9

8.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$43.27 $43.27

30.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$104 $104

23.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$145 $145

-10.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,037 $1,037

12.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$881 $881

7.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$1,809 $1,809

9.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,619 $1,619

-13.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$2,308 $2,308

16.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$2,251 $2,251

-9.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$3,924 $3,924

-74.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.25

37.92%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Butte, MT: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Butte, MT

$881 47.7% 6.6% $62

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Butte, MT

$302 16.4% 25% $101

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Butte, MT

$242 13.1% 4% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Butte, MT

$232 12.6% 22.2% $42

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Butte, MT

$161 8.7% 7.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Butte, MT

$21 * 1.1% 75.2% $63

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Butte, MT

$8.1 * 0.4% 89.9% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,037 in Butte, MT. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Butte, MT are about 4 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 $62 in San Jose versus $59 in Butte, MT. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $302 – making Butte, MT the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Butte, MT

🕒 Local time

02:20 2:20 AM

01:20 1:20 AM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

35,000

💱 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 Butte, MT 4,830 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Butte, MT

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 Butte, MT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose costs about 14% more than Butte, MT, 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 $3,161 per month in San Jose and $2,770 in Butte, MT. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Butte, MT, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,037 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose and $59 in Butte, MT. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in San Jose, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,847 in Butte, MT to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.