Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and New City, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $4,545 in New City, NY, rent and utilities included – about $29,300 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
220

Cost of Living Index in New City, NY
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New City, NY Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

New City, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in New City, NY

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 City, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $4,545 in New City, NY, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
New City, NY $4,545

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $6,411 in New City, NY, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
New City, NY $6,411

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $8,276 in New City, NY, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
New City, NY $8,276

San Jose is about 54% cheaper than New City, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Jose and New City, NY sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, New City, NY by 236%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$13.75 $13.75

-10.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$84.9 $84.9

-26.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$10.89 $10.89

7.53%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$5.60 $5.60

-18.93%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.22 $2.22

23.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.54 $1.54

20.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$7.82 $7.82

-57.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$7.80 $7.80

-44.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.23 $1.23

91.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$4.35 $4.35

-29.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$6.58 $6.58

-61.85%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$5.96 $5.96

-40.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$12.28 $12.28

-14.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$15.90 $15.90

-33.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$17.55 $17.55

-20.68%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$5.32 $5.32

-2.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.28 $1.28

28.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$6.51 $6.51

-24.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$6.30 $6.30

-39.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$5.34 $5.34

-26.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$3.87 $3.87

-2.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.37 $2.37

-52.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.14 $1.14

182.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$11.43 $11.43

-47.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$10.15 $10.15

95.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$1.71 $1.71

64.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$5.26 $5.26

-30.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.93 $2.93

-63.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$124 $124

-47.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.03 $3.03

-25.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$2.00 $2.00

-11.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$23.75 $23.75

-66.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.06 $1.06

41.51%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$27.4K $27.4K

22.00%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$25.9K $25.9K

63.24%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$203 $203

-54.16%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$75.3 $75.3

-51.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$66.2 $66.2

-8.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$14.22 $14.22

-46.06%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$2,010 $2,010

-51.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$34.6K $34.6K

-45.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$41.02 $41.02

72.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$56.5 $56.5

0.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$69.5 $69.5

85.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$147 $147

-11.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$3,077 $3,077

-61.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$3,150 $3,150

-70.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$5,663 $5,663

-64.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$5,146 $5,146

-72.79%

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

$8,025 $8,025

-87.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.62

30.21%

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 City, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

New City, NY

$3.1K 69.3% 234% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

New City, NY

$453 10% 12.5% $50

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

New City, NY

$280 6.2% 20.3% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

New City, NY

$345 7.6% 81.5% $155

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

New City, NY

$141 3.1% 18.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

New City, NY

$28 * 0.6% 66.2% $56

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

New City, NY

$149 3.3% 84% $68

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 $3,077 in New City, NY. 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 City, NY are about 8.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose versus $85 in New City, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $453 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 New City, NY

🕒 Local time

13:44 1:44 PM

14:44 2:44 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

34,135

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

San Jose New City, NY 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
New City, NY

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 City, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,107 in San Jose, $4,545 in New City, NY – San Jose comes out roughly 54% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $6,818 in New City, NY. 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 $3,077 in New City, NY.

Kindergarten costs $972 per month in San Jose and $2,010 in New City, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in New City, NY, 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 City, NY at $4,545. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in New City, NY 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 City, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.