Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and New Bedford, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,774 in New Bedford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in New Bedford, MA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in New Bedford, MA
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New Bedford, MA Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

New Bedford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in New Bedford, MA

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 New Bedford, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $2,774 in New Bedford, MA, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
New Bedford, MA $2,774

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $3,848 in New Bedford, MA, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
New Bedford, MA $3,848

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $4,921 in New Bedford, MA, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
New Bedford, MA $4,921

San Jose is about 24% cheaper than New Bedford, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Jose and New Bedford, MA sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, New Bedford, MA by 105%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$19.61 $19.61

-36.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$60.5 $60.5

3.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$5.83 $5.83

100.86%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$3.89 $3.89

16.71%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.26 $2.26

21.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.29 $1.29

44.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$5.97 $5.97

-43.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$3.91 $3.91

10.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.05 $1.05

124.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$4.48 $4.48

-31.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$16.29 $16.29

-84.59%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$6.47 $6.47

-45.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$10.42 $10.42

1.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$10.47 $10.47

0.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$19.43 $19.43

-28.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$5.44 $5.44

-4.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$4.31 $4.31

-61.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.33 $3.33

46.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.15 $3.15

21.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.24 $2.24

74.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.39 $2.39

57.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.63 $2.63

-57.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$2.82 $2.82

14.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$12.74 $12.74

-52.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$17.07 $17.07

16.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$1.81 $1.81

55.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$2.75 $2.75

32.73%

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

$3.71 $3.71

-39.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$2.19 $2.19

-18.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$48.09 $48.09

-83.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.08 $1.08

38.89%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$27.3K $27.3K

22.50%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$26.3K $26.3K

60.88%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$196 $196

-52.39%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$37.66 $37.66

-4.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$61.1 $61.1

-0.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$29.22 $29.22

135.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$12.30 $12.30

-37.64%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$2,163 $2,163

-55.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$34.0K $34.0K

-44.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$37.99 $37.99

85.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$16.41 $16.41

245.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$98.8 $98.8

30.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,798 $1,798

-34.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,594 $1,594

-40.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,647 $2,647

-25.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$2,369 $2,369

-40.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$4,565 $4,565

-78.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.42

59.04%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for New Bedford, MA: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

New Bedford, MA

$1.6K 57.5% 69% $651

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

New Bedford, MA

$475 17.1% 18% $72

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

New Bedford, MA

$273 9.8% 17.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

New Bedford, MA

$294 10.6% 55% $105

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

New Bedford, MA

$69 * 2.5% 60.4% $105

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

New Bedford, MA

$54 1.9% 36.1% $30

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

New Bedford, MA

$15 * 0.5% 81.9% $66

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,798 in New Bedford, MA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in New Bedford, MA are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose versus $60 in New Bedford, MA. Groceries tell a different story – $403 in San Jose vs $475 in New Bedford, MA – so San Jose wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 New Bedford, MA

🕒 Local time

12:35 12:35 PM

13:35 1:35 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

92,538

💱 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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Between locations

San Jose New Bedford, MA 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
New Bedford, MA

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 New Bedford, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,107 in San Jose, $2,774 in New Bedford, MA – San Jose comes out roughly 24% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $4,161 in New Bedford, MA. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,798 in New Bedford, MA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose and $60 in New Bedford, MA. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in New Bedford, MA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in New Bedford, MA at $2,774. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Bedford, MA 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, New Bedford, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.