Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Duluth, MN

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,233 in Duluth, MN, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Duluth, MN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Duluth, MN
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Duluth, MN Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Duluth, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,233

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Duluth, MN

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 Duluth, MN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,924 per month in San Jose vs $2,233 in Duluth, MN, rent included.

San Jose $1,924
Duluth, MN $2,233

A couple spends around $2,926 per month in San Jose vs $3,579 in Duluth, MN, rent included.

San Jose $2,926
Duluth, MN $3,579

A family of three spends $3,929 per month in San Jose vs $4,925 in Duluth, MN, rent included.

San Jose $3,929
Duluth, MN $4,925

San Jose is about 14% cheaper than Duluth, MN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Jose and Duluth, MN sit above the global median – San Jose by 42%, Duluth, MN by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,513

$19.77 $19.77

-37.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡27.9K

$66.8 $66.8

-6.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 ₡5,171

$10.07 $10.07

14.50%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,953

$5.35 $5.35

-18.69%

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

$1.87 $1.87

-0.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,490

$6.45 $6.45

-48.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,026

$7.85 $7.85

-42.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$0.83 $0.83

187.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,381

$2.86 $2.86

7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$3.88 $3.88

-35.57%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,562

$3.70 $3.70

-5.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,815

$10.12 $10.12

6.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,629

$10.51 $10.51

-1.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,325

$18.84 $18.84

-25.16%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,256

$5.23 $5.23

-3.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$1.48 $1.48

7.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 ₡2,171

$2.65 $2.65

82.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,776

$4.45 $4.45

-11.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,684

$1.10 $1.10

241.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$2.18 $2.18

71.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡485

$1.17 $1.17

-7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,456

$1.45 $1.45

124.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,627

$13.06 $13.06

-55.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 ₡9,095

$15.92 $15.92

27.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.75 $1.75

65.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ₡1,673

$2.79 $2.79

33.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

$1.85 $1.85

-41.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

$39.24 $39.24

66.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$4.88 $4.88

-48.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

$1.52 $1.52

7.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

$23.73 $23.73

-63.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡709

$0.96 $0.96

64.58%

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

$33.6K ₡15.1M

$22.1K $22.1K

51.99%

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

$41.7K ₡18.7M

$23.5K $23.5K

77.17%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$177 $177

-47.03%

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

$35.42 ₡15.9K

$44.52 $44.52

-20.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡26.9K

$68.0 $68.0

-11.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$63.2 $63.2

14.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

$25.71 $25.71

0.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,471

$11.23 $11.23

-31.08%

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

$1,005 ₡450.9K

$1,029 $1,029

-2.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$10.2K $10.2K

65.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 ₡32.8K

$57.3 $57.3

27.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$43.48 $43.48

27.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$101 $101

27.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.5K

$85.4 $85.4

52.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ₡418.0K

$1,287 $1,287

-27.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡340.8K

$1,001 $1,001

-24.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

$2,334 $2,334

-17.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

$2,200 $2,200

-42.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.0M

$2,195 $2,195

4.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ₡821.9K

$2,215 $2,215

-17.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

$3,783 $3,783

-72.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.19

39.26%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Last update for Duluth, MN: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$760 39.5%

Duluth, MN

$1K 44.8% 31.7% $241

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 21%

Duluth, MN

$351 15.7% 13% $53

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.9%

Duluth, MN

$318 14.2% 39% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Duluth, MN

$289 13% 53% $100

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9.1%

Duluth, MN

$129 5.8% 25.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Duluth, MN

$86 3.8% 2.7% $2.4

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.2%

Duluth, MN

$59 2.7% 26.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $932 in San Jose versus $1,287 in Duluth, MN. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 268% higher in Duluth, MN, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in San Jose versus $67.0 in Duluth, MN. Groceries tell a different story – $403 in San Jose vs $351 in Duluth, MN – so Duluth, MN wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Duluth, MN

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

16:47 4:47 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

86,265

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Duluth, MN 4,170 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Duluth, MN

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 Duluth, MN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Duluth, MN is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,886 per month in San Jose and $3,349 in Duluth, MN. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,924 in San Jose and $2,233 in Duluth, MN. That's a gap of about 16%.

Public transport costs about 67% less in San Jose. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Duluth, MN at $2,233. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Duluth, MN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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