Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Durham, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,581 in Durham, NC, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Durham, NC
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Durham, NC Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Durham, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,581

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Durham, NC

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 Durham, NC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,581 in Durham, NC.

San Jose $2,107
Durham, NC $2,581

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $3,926 in Durham, NC.

San Jose $3,081
Durham, NC $3,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $5,272 in Durham, NC.

San Jose $4,054
Durham, NC $5,272

Living in San Jose costs roughly 18% less than in Durham, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, Durham, NC 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$15.26 $15.26

-18.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$106 $106

-41.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$9.87 $9.87

18.64%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$4.89 $4.89

-7.16%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$3.19 $3.19

-13.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$2.05 $2.05

-9.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$6.07 $6.07

-44.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$7.09 $7.09

-39.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.12 $1.12

110.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$4.92 $4.92

-37.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$11.26 $11.26

-77.71%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$5.95 $5.95

-40.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$19.07 $19.07

-44.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$17.06 $17.06

-38.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$26.97 $26.97

-48.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$5.63 $5.63

-7.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.85 $1.85

-10.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$8.41 $8.41

-41.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$5.94 $5.94

-35.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$6.94 $6.94

-43.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$3.93 $3.93

-4.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.64 $2.64

-57.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$2.05 $2.05

57.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$8.80 $8.80

-31.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$14.89 $14.89

33.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$1.53 $1.53

83.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.97 $3.97

-8.06%

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

$3.64 $3.64

-37.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.22 $1.22

45.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.06 $1.06

41.51%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$31.4K $31.4K

6.56%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$25.7K $25.7K

64.78%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$228 $228

-59.18%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$75.6 $75.6

-52.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$70.5 $70.5

-14.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$51.5 $51.5

33.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$14.10 $14.10

-45.60%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$1,619 $1,619

-39.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$30.3K $30.3K

-37.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$59.8 $59.8

18.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$39.46 $39.46

43.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$101 $101

26.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$138 $138

-4.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,526 $1,526

-23.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,125 $1,125

-16.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,254 $2,254

-12.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,918 $1,918

-26.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$3,533 $3,533

-24.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$2,485 $2,485

-18.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$4,538 $4,538

-78.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.75

27.70%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Durham, NC: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Durham, NC

$1.1K 43.6% 19.2% $182

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Durham, NC

$564 21.9% 40.2% $162

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Durham, NC

$276 10.7% 18.7% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Durham, NC

$374 14.5% 97.1% $184

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Durham, NC

$152 5.9% 12.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Durham, NC

$80 3.1% 5.4% $4.6

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Durham, NC

$9.8 * 0.4% 87.9% $71

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 $1,170 in San Jose and $1,526 in Durham, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham, NC pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $106 in Durham, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $564 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Durham, NC

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

06:20 6:20 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

283,506

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

San Jose Durham, NC 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Durham, NC

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 Durham, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Durham, NC. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in San Jose. 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: $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,526 in Durham, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Durham, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,107 per month in San Jose versus $2,581 in Durham, NC – San Jose is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,581 in Durham, NC, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Durham, NC. 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 Durham, NC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Durham, NC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.