Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Sumter, SC

For one person, living costs are similar in San Jose and in Sumter, SC: $2,107 and $2,080 a month, rent and utilities included.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Sumter, SC
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Sumter, SC Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Sumter, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Sumter, SC

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 Sumter, SC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $2,080 in Sumter, SC, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
Sumter, SC $2,080

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $3,000 in Sumter, SC, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
Sumter, SC $3,000

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $3,919 in Sumter, SC, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
Sumter, SC $3,919

San Jose and Sumter, SC have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both San Jose and Sumter, SC sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, Sumter, SC by 54%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$17.64 $17.64

-29.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$54.5 $54.5

14.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$10.85 $10.85

7.93%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$5.68 $5.68

-20.07%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$1.85 $1.85

48.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.37 $1.37

35.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$6.08 $6.08

-44.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$7.10 $7.10

-39.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.04 $1.04

126.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$4.17 $4.17

-26.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$3.28 $3.28

-23.48%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$4.44 $4.44

-20.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$16.28 $16.28

-35.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$15.91 $15.91

-33.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$18.39 $18.39

-24.31%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$5.29 $5.29

-1.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.50 $1.50

10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$4.56 $4.56

7.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$4.70 $4.70

-18.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$3.69 $3.69

5.96%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$3.04 $3.04

23.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.99 $1.99

-43.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$2.29 $2.29

40.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$8.93 $8.93

-32.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$15.24 $15.24

30.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.36 $2.36

19.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.67 $3.67

-0.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.47 $3.47

-34.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$2.15 $2.15

-17.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$29.58 $29.58

-73.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$0.80 $0.80

87.50%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$35.1K $35.1K

-4.60%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$25.3K $25.3K

67.45%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$177 $177

-47.39%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$67.7 $67.7

-46.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$80.5 $80.5

-24.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$15.14 $15.14

355.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$4.98 $4.98

400.80%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$6.90 $6.90

11.16%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$1,468 $1,468

-33.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$31.0K $31.0K

-39.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$50.6 $50.6

39.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$37.15 $37.15

52.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$95.9 $95.9

34.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$143 $143

-8.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,021 $1,021

14.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$820 $820

15.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$1,343 $1,343

47.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,204 $1,204

16.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$1,478 $1,478

81.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$1,504 $1,504

35.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$4,181 $4,181

-76.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.64

29.82%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sumter, SC: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Sumter, SC

$820 39.4% 13.1% $124

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Sumter, SC

$446 21.4% 10.7% $43

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Sumter, SC

$299 14.4% 28.8% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Sumter, SC

$325 15.6% 71.3% $135

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Sumter, SC

$147 7.1% 15.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Sumter, SC

$29 1.4% 65.7% $55

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Sumter, SC

$14 * 0.7% 82.4% $66

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 $1,021 in Sumter, SC. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sumter, SC are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose versus $54 in Sumter, SC. Groceries tell a different story – $403 in San Jose vs $446 in Sumter, SC – so San Jose wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Sumter, SC

🕒 Local time

14:13 2:13 PM

15:13 3:13 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

39,159

💱 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 Sumter, SC 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Sumter, SC

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 Sumter, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $3,121 in Sumter, SC. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sumter, SC, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,021 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose and $54 in Sumter, SC. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $972 per month in San Jose and $1,468 in Sumter, SC. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,107 in San Jose and $2,080 in Sumter, SC, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,080 in Sumter, SC to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.