Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and North Brunswick, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,453 in North Brunswick, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
121

Cost of Living Index in North Brunswick, NJ
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North Brunswick, NJ Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

North Brunswick, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in North Brunswick, NJ

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 North Brunswick, NJ actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,453 in North Brunswick, NJ.

San Jose $2,107
North Brunswick, NJ $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $3,704 in North Brunswick, NJ.

San Jose $3,081
North Brunswick, NJ $3,704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $4,955 in North Brunswick, NJ.

San Jose $4,054
North Brunswick, NJ $4,955

Living in San Jose costs roughly 14% less than in North Brunswick, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, North Brunswick, NJ 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$20.22 $20.22

-38.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$61.1 $61.1

2.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$11.90 $11.90

-1.60%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$3.03 $3.03

49.83%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.62 $2.62

4.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.18 $1.18

57.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$6.69 $6.69

-49.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$6.04 $6.04

-28.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.10 $1.10

114.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$1.60 $1.60

91.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$5.70 $5.70

-55.96%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$4.77 $4.77

-26.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$13.22 $13.22

-20.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$16.61 $16.61

-36.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$16.33 $16.33

-14.76%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$3.85 $3.85

35.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.90 $1.90

-13.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$4.25 $4.25

15.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$6.15 $6.15

-37.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$3.26 $3.26

19.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$3.29 $3.29

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.34 $2.34

-52.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$2.01 $2.01

60.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$15.00 $15.00

-59.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$17.93 $17.93

10.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.62 $2.62

7.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$4.09 $4.09

-10.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.94 $1.94

-44.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$53.6 $53.6

21.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.07 $3.07

-26.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$2.16 $2.16

-17.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$42.72 $42.72

-81.51%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

20.10%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$26.7K $26.7K

58.43%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$128 $128

-26.94%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$47.11 $47.11

-23.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$57.6 $57.6

5.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$38.45 $38.45

79.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$13.03 $13.03

-41.14%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$2,704 $2,704

-64.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$15.3K $15.3K

23.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$54.2 $54.2

30.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$50.9 $50.9

11.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$120 $120

6.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$134 $134

-2.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,555 $1,555

-24.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,199 $1,199

-21.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,490 $2,490

-20.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$2,160 $2,160

-35.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$3,084 $3,084

-13.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$2,485 $2,485

-18.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.01

22.97%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for North Brunswick, NJ: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

North Brunswick, NJ

$1.2K 48.9% 27.2% $256

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

North Brunswick, NJ

$426 17.4% 5.8% $23

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

North Brunswick, NJ

$295 12% 26.7% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

North Brunswick, NJ

$232 9.5% 22.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

North Brunswick, NJ

$162 6.6% 7.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

North Brunswick, NJ

$65 2.6% 23.4% $20

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

North Brunswick, NJ

$75 3.1% 6.8% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in San Jose and $1,555 in North Brunswick, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $61 in North Brunswick, NJ. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $426, with San Jose cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 North Brunswick, NJ

🕒 Local time

00:00 12:00 AM

01:00 1:00 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

43,905

💱 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 = 0.891 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 = 0.891 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose North Brunswick, NJ 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
North Brunswick, NJ

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 North Brunswick, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,161 in San Jose and $3,680 in North Brunswick, NJ 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 $1,555 in North Brunswick, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $972 in San Jose versus $2,704 in North Brunswick, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in North Brunswick, NJ runs roughly 18% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.