Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Goldsboro, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Goldsboro, NC: $1,859 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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 Goldsboro, NC
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Goldsboro, NC Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Goldsboro, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$1,859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Goldsboro, 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 Goldsboro, NC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $1,859 in Goldsboro, NC.

San Jose $2,107
Goldsboro, NC $1,859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $2,658 in Goldsboro, NC.

San Jose $3,081
Goldsboro, NC $2,658

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $3,458 in Goldsboro, NC.

San Jose $4,054
Goldsboro, NC $3,458

Living in San Jose is roughly 13% more expensive than in Goldsboro, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, Goldsboro, NC 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$15.09 $15.09

-18.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$52.8 $52.8

18.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$9.24 $9.24

26.73%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$4.36 $4.36

4.13%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.15 $2.15

27.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.55 $1.55

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$3.42 $3.42

-2.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$4.89 $4.89

-11.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$0.81 $0.81

191.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$3.58 $3.58

-14.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$3.16 $3.16

-20.57%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.73 $3.73

-5.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$12.87 $12.87

-18.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$8.83 $8.83

19.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$15.75 $15.75

-11.62%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$3.92 $3.92

32.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$2.04 $2.04

-19.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.32 $3.32

47.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$4.33 $4.33

-11.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.42 $2.42

61.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$3.31 $3.31

13.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.86 $1.86

-39.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$2.17 $2.17

48.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$7.26 $7.26

-17.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$14.24 $14.24

39.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$1.64 $1.64

71.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$2.97 $2.97

22.90%

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

$3.77 $3.77

-40.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.79 $1.79

-0.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$24.12 $24.12

-67.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$0.77 $0.77

94.81%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$24.6K $24.6K

36.14%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$22.8K $22.8K

85.84%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$118 $118

-21.20%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$50.3 $50.3

-28.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$45.09 $45.09

34.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$44.49 $44.49

54.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$11.84 $11.84

-35.22%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$775 $775

25.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$11.9K $11.9K

59.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$51.1 $51.1

38.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$36.84 $36.84

53.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$69.6 $69.6

84.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$71.2 $71.2

83.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,263 $1,263

-7.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$860 $860

9.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$1,697 $1,697

16.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,226 $1,226

14.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$1,746 $1,746

53.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$1,748 $1,748

16.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$5,471 $5,471

-81.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.36

35.53%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Goldsboro, NC: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Goldsboro, NC

$860 46.3% 8.8% $83

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Goldsboro, NC

$358 19.3% 11.1% $45

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Goldsboro, NC

$242 13% 4.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Goldsboro, NC

$214 11.5% 12.5% $24

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Goldsboro, NC

$103 5.5% 40.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Goldsboro, NC

$68 3.7% 19.1% $16

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Goldsboro, NC

$13 * 0.7% 84.2% $68

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 $1,263 in Goldsboro, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Goldsboro, NC pays about 5.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $53 in Goldsboro, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $358 per month, with Goldsboro, NC cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Goldsboro, NC

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

17:11 5:11 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

38,203

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 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 = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Goldsboro, NC 2,900 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Goldsboro, 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 Goldsboro, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Goldsboro, NC is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 82% 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 $1,263 in Goldsboro, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in San Jose. 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 $1,859 in Goldsboro, NC – Goldsboro, NC is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Goldsboro, NC gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.