Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Cape Girardeau, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,129 in Cape Girardeau, MO, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Cape Girardeau, MO
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Cape Girardeau, MO Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Cape Girardeau, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,129

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Cape Girardeau, MO

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 Cape Girardeau, MO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,129 in Cape Girardeau, MO.

San Jose $1,938
Cape Girardeau, MO $2,129

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,936 in San Jose versus $3,277 in Cape Girardeau, MO.

San Jose $2,936
Cape Girardeau, MO $3,277

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,934 in San Jose versus $4,424 in Cape Girardeau, MO.

San Jose $3,934
Cape Girardeau, MO $4,424

Living in San Jose costs roughly 9% less than in Cape Girardeau, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 44% above, Cape Girardeau, MO 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$17.76 $17.76

-30.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$58.6 $58.6

3.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$7.12 $7.12

60.81%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$6.02 $6.02

-27.08%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$2.68 $2.68

0.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$1.87 $1.87

3.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$2.99 $2.99

7.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$7.71 $7.71

-42.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.03 $1.03

136.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.23 $2.23

36.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$7.44 $7.44

-67.61%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$3.06 $3.06

11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$15.14 $15.14

-29.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$18.63 $18.63

-44.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$25.29 $25.29

-44.68%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$3.36 $3.36

56.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.93 $1.93

-17.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$11.43 $11.43

-58.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$8.88 $8.88

-55.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$2.14 $2.14

83.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$6.00 $6.00

-38.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.89 $2.89

-61.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$2.47 $2.47

29.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$7.34 $7.34

-18.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$12.06 $12.06

62.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$1.77 $1.77

59.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$8.09 $8.09

-55.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.80 $0.80

95.00%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$30.6K $30.6K

-26.71%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$24.8K $24.8K

43.58%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$201 $201

-52.55%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$42.29 $42.29

-15.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$80.7 $80.7

-27.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$20.39 $20.39

256.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$14.98 $14.98

-49.40%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$818 $818

22.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$45.40 $45.40

55.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$39.35 $39.35

41.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$84.4 $84.4

53.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$39.98 $39.98

227.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$777 $777

19.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$861 $861

-10.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$1,572 $1,572

25.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$1,672 $1,672

-22.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$1,444 $1,444

57.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$1,438 $1,438

27.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

$2,408 $2,408

-57.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.45

33.64%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Girardeau, MO: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$861 40.4% 11.2% $86

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$516 24.3% 28.7% $115

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$284 13.4% 24% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$324 15.2% 70.8% $134

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$94 4.4% 45.9% $80

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$50 2.4% 42.7% $38

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Cape Girardeau, MO

- * 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 $927 in San Jose and $777 in Cape Girardeau, MO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Girardeau, MO pays 137% 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: $61.0 in San Jose vs $59.0 in Cape Girardeau, MO. Groceries flip the comparison at $401 vs $516, with San Jose cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Cape Girardeau, MO

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

23:54 11:54 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

37,941

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Cape Girardeau, MO 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Cape Girardeau, MO

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 Cape Girardeau, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 137% lower in Cape Girardeau, MO. 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: $927 in San Jose versus $777 in Cape Girardeau, MO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Cape Girardeau, MO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,938 per month in San Jose versus $2,129 in Cape Girardeau, MO – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,129 in Cape Girardeau, MO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Cape Girardeau, MO. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cape Girardeau, MO, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Cape Girardeau, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.