Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and New Castle, DE

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,646 in New Castle, DE, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
128

Cost of Living Index in New Castle, DE
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New Castle, DE Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

New Castle, DE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in New Castle, DE

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 Castle, DE actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,646 in New Castle, DE.

San Jose $2,107
New Castle, DE $2,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $3,835 in New Castle, DE.

San Jose $3,081
New Castle, DE $3,835

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $5,024 in New Castle, DE.

San Jose $4,054
New Castle, DE $5,024

Living in San Jose costs roughly 20% less than in New Castle, DE, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, New Castle, DE 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$17.87 $17.87

-30.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$90.4 $90.4

-31.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$10.73 $10.73

9.13%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$5.31 $5.31

-14.50%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$3.04 $3.04

-9.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.94 $1.94

-4.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$6.88 $6.88

-51.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$7.86 $7.86

-45.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.15 $1.15

105.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$3.97 $3.97

-22.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$4.14 $4.14

-39.37%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$4.82 $4.82

-26.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$12.89 $12.89

-18.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$12.84 $12.84

-17.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$18.70 $18.70

-25.56%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$5.95 $5.95

-12.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.52 $1.52

8.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$5.85 $5.85

-16.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$5.01 $5.01

-23.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.69 $2.69

45.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.96 $2.96

27.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.35 $2.35

-52.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$2.34 $2.34

37.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$13.72 $13.72

-56.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$15.69 $15.69

26.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.56 $2.56

9.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.79 $3.79

-3.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.96 $1.96

-44.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$60.4 $60.4

8.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$1.85 $1.85

22.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.33 $1.33

33.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$24.21 $24.21

-67.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.05 $1.05

42.86%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$34.3K $34.3K

-2.43%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$26.1K $26.1K

61.94%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$213 $213

-56.28%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$66.9 $66.9

-45.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$68.8 $68.8

-11.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$40.32 $40.32

70.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$14.25 $14.25

-46.18%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$1,944 $1,944

-50.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$20.7K $20.7K

-8.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$52.4 $52.4

34.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$62.3 $62.3

-8.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$92.8 $92.8

38.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$110 $110

18.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,374 $1,374

-14.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,263 $1,263

-25.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,058 $2,058

-3.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,922 $1,922

-27.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$3,119 $3,119

-14.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$2,099 $2,099

-2.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.9

24.93%

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 Castle, DE: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

New Castle, DE

$1.3K 47.7% 33.9% $320

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

New Castle, DE

$436 16.5% 8.4% $34

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

New Castle, DE

$309 11.7% 32.9% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

New Castle, DE

$349 13.2% 83.7% $159

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

New Castle, DE

$143 5.4% 17.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

New Castle, DE

$69 2.6% 18.3% $15

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

New Castle, DE

$77 2.9% 5% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in San Jose and $1,374 in New Castle, DE. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $90 in New Castle, DE for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $436 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 New Castle, DE

🕒 Local time

13:56 1:56 PM

14:56 2:56 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

21,926

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose New Castle, DE 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
New Castle, DE

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 Castle, DE: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in New Castle, DE. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,161 in San Jose and $3,969 in New Castle, DE to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,374 in New Castle, DE. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $972 in San Jose versus $1,944 in New Castle, DE. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in New Castle, DE. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,646 in New Castle, DE, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in New Castle, DE. 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.