Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and New Britain, CT

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,582 in New Britain, CT, 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
124

Cost of Living Index in New Britain, CT
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New Britain, CT Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

New Britain, CT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,582

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in New Britain, CT

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 Britain, CT actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $2,582 in New Britain, CT, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
New Britain, CT $2,582

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $3,955 in New Britain, CT, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
New Britain, CT $3,955

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $5,329 in New Britain, CT, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
New Britain, CT $5,329

San Jose is about 18% cheaper than New Britain, CT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Jose and New Britain, CT sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, New Britain, CT by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$16.25 $16.25

-23.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$91.2 $91.2

-31.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$14.72 $14.72

-20.45%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$5.57 $5.57

-18.49%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.91 $2.91

-5.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$2.78 $2.78

-33.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$4.94 $4.94

-32.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$7.82 $7.82

-44.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.07 $1.07

120.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$3.92 $3.92

-21.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$5.36 $5.36

-53.17%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$4.70 $4.70

-24.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$11.10 $11.10

-5.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$14.37 $14.37

-26.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$17.59 $17.59

-20.86%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$6.87 $6.87

-24.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.71 $1.71

-3.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$6.59 $6.59

-25.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$5.55 $5.55

-30.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.77 $2.77

41.16%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$4.32 $4.32

-12.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.29 $2.29

-51.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$0.98 $0.98

228.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$13.48 $13.48

-55.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$14.06 $14.06

41.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.08 $2.08

35.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.99 $3.99

-8.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.91 $1.91

-43.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$53.8 $53.8

21.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.96 $3.96

-42.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$2.51 $2.51

-29.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$39.83 $39.83

-80.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.09 $1.09

37.61%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$27.9K $27.9K

19.85%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$26.9K $26.9K

56.99%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$324 $324

-71.23%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$104 $104

-65.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$54.8 $54.8

10.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$40.06 $40.06

72.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$14.16 $14.16

-45.83%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$984 $984

-1.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$44.9K $44.9K

-57.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$56.0 $56.0

26.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$37.87 $37.87

49.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$79.9 $79.9

60.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$98.6 $98.6

32.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,112 $1,112

5.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,095 $1,095

-13.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,572 $2,572

-22.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$2,107 $2,107

-33.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$2,695 $2,695

-0.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$2,486 $2,486

-18.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$3,915 $3,915

-74.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

72.40%

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 Britain, CT: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

New Britain, CT

$1.1K 42.4% 16.1% $152

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

New Britain, CT

$431 16.7% 7.1% $29

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

New Britain, CT

$304 11.8% 30.9% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

New Britain, CT

$483 18.7% 154% $293

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

New Britain, CT

$123 4.8% 29.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

New Britain, CT

$68 2.7% 18.8% $16

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

New Britain, CT

$78 3% 3.4% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,112 in New Britain, CT. 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 Britain, CT are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose versus $91 in New Britain, CT. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $431 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 New Britain, CT

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

15:01 3:01 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

73,206

💱 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 New Britain, CT 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
New Britain, CT

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 Britain, CT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – New Britain, CT is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $3,873 in New Britain, CT. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,170 in San Jose and $1,112 in New Britain, CT. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,107 in San Jose and $2,582 in New Britain, CT. That makes San Jose about 18% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 17% less in New Britain, CT. 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 $2,107, than in New Britain, CT at $2,582. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Britain, CT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,582 in New Britain, CT. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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