Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Jamestown, ND

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,105 a month against $2,578 in Jamestown, ND, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Jamestown, ND
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Jamestown, ND Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Jamestown, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,578

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Jamestown, ND

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 Jamestown, ND actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,105 in San Jose versus $2,578 in Jamestown, ND.

San Jose $2,105
Jamestown, ND $2,578

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,074 in San Jose versus $3,748 in Jamestown, ND.

San Jose $3,074
Jamestown, ND $3,748

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,043 in San Jose versus $4,919 in Jamestown, ND.

San Jose $4,043
Jamestown, ND $4,919

Living in San Jose costs roughly 18% less than in Jamestown, ND, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 55% above, Jamestown, ND 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.43 ₡5,609

$22.07 $22.07

-43.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.5K

$67.2 $67.2

-9.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 ₡5,288

$12.12 $12.12

-3.30%

Cappuccino

$4.47 ₡2,019

$5.25 $5.25

-14.86%

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

$2.75 ₡1,241

$2.40 $2.40

14.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡867

$2.17 $2.17

-11.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 ₡1,470

$5.25 $5.25

-37.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡2,009

$7.35 $7.35

-39.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,063

$0.81 $0.81

191.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 ₡1,393

$3.48 $3.48

-11.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,083

$4.27 $4.27

-43.79%

Eggs

$3.44 ₡1,553

$4.07 $4.07

-15.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,841

$11.40 $11.40

-5.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,674

$10.24 $10.24

1.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ₡6,243

$16.79 $16.79

-17.57%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 ₡2,323

$4.90 $4.90

5.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡746

$1.65 $1.65

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,109

$4.79 $4.79

-2.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 ₡1,798

$5.03 $5.03

-20.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,761

$2.73 $2.73

42.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 ₡1,647

$3.26 $3.26

11.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.20 $2.20

-50.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,398

$1.91 $1.91

62.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 ₡2,745

$9.06 $9.06

-32.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.05 ₡9,047

$12.91 $12.91

55.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,252

$1.94 $1.94

42.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,666

$3.12 $3.12

18.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.15 $2.15

-47.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

$61.9 $61.9

7.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,122

$3.07 $3.07

-18.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡735

$1.63 $1.63

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 ₡3,821

$26.20 $26.20

-67.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.95 $0.95

65.26%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$26.0K $26.0K

33.11%

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

$42.3K ₡19.1M

$30.0K $30.0K

41.31%

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

$93.2 ₡42.0K

$201 $201

-53.62%

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

$36.05 ₡16.3K

$58.0 $58.0

-37.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 ₡26.7K

$68.7 $68.7

-13.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₡31.1K

$36.40 $36.40

89.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ₡3,543

$13.11 $13.11

-40.12%

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

$996 ₡449.4K

$1,516 $1,516

-34.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$25.9K $25.9K

-34.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 ₡31.6K

$52.2 $52.2

34.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.9K

$42.82 $42.82

28.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.5K

$89.8 $89.8

44.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡59.2K

$102 $102

29.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₡525.2K

$1,533 $1,533

-24.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 ₡426.4K

$1,263 $1,263

-25.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 ₡899.4K

$2,517 $2,517

-20.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 ₡633.4K

$2,062 $2,062

-31.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 ₡1.2M

$3,240 $3,240

-15.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ₡920.7K

$2,060 $2,060

-0.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ₡456.1K

$3,079 $3,079

-67.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.57

31.20%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jamestown, ND: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$945 44.9%

Jamestown, ND

$1.3K 49% 33.7% $318

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 19%

Jamestown, ND

$379 14.7% 5.1% $20

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Jamestown, ND

$335 13% 44.3% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9%

Jamestown, ND

$328 12.7% 73.9% $139

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Jamestown, ND

$129 5% 25.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$85 4%

Jamestown, ND

$63 2.4% 26.1% $22

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 3.9%

Jamestown, ND

$82 3.2% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,164 in San Jose and $1,533 in Jamestown, ND. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jamestown, ND pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in San Jose vs $67 in Jamestown, ND. Groceries flip the comparison at $399 vs $379, with Jamestown, ND cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Jamestown, ND

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

16:47 4:47 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

💱 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 = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Jamestown, ND 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Jamestown, ND

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 Jamestown, ND: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 18% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 67% 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: $1,164 in San Jose versus $1,533 in Jamestown, ND. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $61 versus $67 in Jamestown, ND. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,105 per month in San Jose versus $2,578 in Jamestown, ND – San Jose is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,105 in San Jose versus $2,578 in Jamestown, ND, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Jamestown, ND. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

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