Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and North East, MD

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,478 in North East, MD, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in North East, MD outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in North East, MD
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North East, MD Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

North East, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in North East, MD

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 East, MD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,478 in North East, MD.

San Jose $2,107
North East, MD $2,478

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $3,776 in North East, MD.

San Jose $3,081
North East, MD $3,776

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $5,074 in North East, MD.

San Jose $4,054
North East, MD $5,074

Living in San Jose costs roughly 15% less than in North East, MD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, North East, MD 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$15.22 $15.22

-18.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$74.3 $74.3

-16.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$10.36 $10.36

13.03%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$5.48 $5.48

-17.15%

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

$1.74 $1.74

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$6.81 $6.81

-50.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$4.47 $4.47

-3.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.12 $1.12

110.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.96 $2.96

3.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$2.74 $2.74

-8.39%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.86 $3.86

-8.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$9.63 $9.63

9.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$9.19 $9.19

15.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$18.42 $18.42

-24.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$4.77 $4.77

9.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.27 $1.27

29.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$4.34 $4.34

12.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$4.02 $4.02

-4.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.61 $2.61

49.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.51 $2.51

49.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.65 $2.65

-57.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.74 $1.74

85.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$13.65 $13.65

-55.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$14.66 $14.66

35.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.45 $2.45

14.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.64 $3.64

0.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.05 $2.05

-47.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$58.5 $58.5

11.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.97 $3.97

-43.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.53 $1.53

16.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$27.51 $27.51

-71.28%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

-2.23%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$25.5K $25.5K

65.65%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$291 $291

-68.00%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$51.2 $51.2

-29.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$59.5 $59.5

1.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$42.76 $42.76

61.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$16.26 $16.26

-52.83%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$1,894 $1,894

-48.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$26.1K $26.1K

-27.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$45.98 $45.98

53.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$40.63 $40.63

39.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$88.8 $88.8

44.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$134 $134

-2.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,474 $1,474

-20.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,146 $1,146

-17.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,881 $2,881

-31.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$2,252 $2,252

-37.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$2,924 $2,924

-8.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$2,432 $2,432

-16.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.46

33.44%

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 East, MD: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

North East, MD

$1.1K 46.3% 21.5% $203

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

North East, MD

$359 14.5% 10.8% $43

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

North East, MD

$278 11.2% 19.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

North East, MD

$402 16.2% 112% $212

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

North East, MD

$139 5.6% 20.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

North East, MD

$75 3% 10.7% $9

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

North East, MD

$78 3.2% 3% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in San Jose and $1,474 in North East, MD. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $74 in North East, MD. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $359, with North East, MD cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 North East, MD

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

12:00 12:00 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

3,600

💱 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 North East, MD 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
North East, MD

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 East, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in North East, MD. 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 $3,717 in North East, MD 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 $1,474 in North East, MD. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,107 per month in San Jose versus $2,478 in North East, MD – San Jose is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in North East, MD runs roughly 10% 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.