Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Rolla, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,401 in Rolla, MO, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rolla, MO outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Rolla, MO
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Rolla, MO Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Rolla, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,401

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Rolla, MO

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 Rolla, MO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,401 in Rolla, MO.

San Jose $1,924
Rolla, MO $2,401

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,926 in San Jose versus $2,716 in Rolla, MO.

San Jose $2,926
Rolla, MO $2,716

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,929 in San Jose versus $3,030 in Rolla, MO.

San Jose $3,929
Rolla, MO $3,030

Living in San Jose costs roughly 20% less than in Rolla, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 42% above, Rolla, MO 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,513

$12.07 $12.07

1.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡27.9K

$35.49 $35.49

75.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 ₡5,171

$9.02 $9.02

27.83%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,953

$4.11 $4.11

5.84%

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

$2.64 ₡1,183

$1.98 $1.98

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡836

$1.29 $1.29

44.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,490

$2.91 $2.91

14.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,026

$4.10 $4.10

10.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$1.00 $1.00

139.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,381

$3.29 $3.29

-6.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.21 $2.21

13.12%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,562

$1.42 $1.42

145.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,815

$11.21 $11.21

-4.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,629

$8.73 $8.73

18.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,325

$7.87 $7.87

79.16%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,256

$4.50 $4.50

11.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$1.12 $1.12

41.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 ₡2,171

$3.00 $3.00

61.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,776

$4.40 $4.40

-10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,684

$1.70 $1.70

121.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$2.33 $2.33

60.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡485

$1.81 $1.81

-40.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,456

$2.06 $2.06

57.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,627

$4.94 $4.94

18.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 ₡9,095

$5.14 $5.14

294.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.86 $1.86

55.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ₡1,673

$4.26 $4.26

-12.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

$2.27 $2.27

-52.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$2.96 $2.96

-15.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

$1.46 $1.46

11.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

$36.61 $36.61

-76.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡709

$0.85 $0.85

85.88%

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

$33.6K ₡15.1M

$28.3K $28.3K

18.53%

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

$41.7K ₡18.7M

$27.0K $27.0K

54.09%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$272 $272

-65.52%

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

$35.42 ₡15.9K

$58.5 $58.5

-39.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡26.9K

$71.2 $71.2

-15.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$40.93 $40.93

77.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

$9.94 $9.94

159.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,471

$9.88 $9.88

-21.66%

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

$1,005 ₡450.9K

$758 $758

32.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$20.7K $20.7K

-18.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 ₡32.8K

$72.7 $72.7

0.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$36.69 $36.69

51.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$78.6 $78.6

63.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.5K

$125 $125

4.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ₡418.0K

$1,616 $1,616

-42.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡340.8K

$1,279 $1,279

-40.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

$1,101 $1,101

74.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

$820 $820

55.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.0M

$2,901 $2,901

-20.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ₡821.9K

$2,214 $2,214

-17.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

$4,580 $4,580

-77.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.36

35.53%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Last update for Rolla, MO: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$760 39.5%

Rolla, MO

$1.3K 53.3% 68.3% $519

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 21%

Rolla, MO

$291 12.1% 27.7% $112

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.9%

Rolla, MO

$209 8.7% 8.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Rolla, MO

$401 16.7% 112% $212

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9.1%

Rolla, MO

$141 5.9% 19.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Rolla, MO

$61 2.5% 31.1% $27

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.2%

Rolla, MO

$19 * 0.8% 76% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $932 in San Jose and $1,616 in Rolla, MO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rolla, MO pays 345% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in San Jose vs $35.00 in Rolla, MO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $291 per month, with Rolla, MO cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Rolla, MO

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

19,943

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Rolla, MO 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Rolla, MO

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 Rolla, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose and Rolla, MO differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,924 vs $2,401 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 345% lower in Rolla, MO. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $932 in San Jose versus $1,616 in Rolla, MO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rolla, MO pay roughly 38% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,924 per month in San Jose versus $2,401 in Rolla, MO – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,401 in Rolla, MO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Rolla, MO. 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Rolla, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.