Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Simpsonville, SC and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,238 in Simpsonville, SC, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Simpsonville, SC
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Simpsonville, SC Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Simpsonville, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,238

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Simpsonville, SC and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,238 per month in Simpsonville, SC vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Simpsonville, SC $2,238
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,306 per month in Simpsonville, SC vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Simpsonville, SC $3,306
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,374 per month in Simpsonville, SC vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Simpsonville, SC $4,374
San Jose $4,054

Simpsonville, SC costs about 6% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Simpsonville, SC and San Jose sit above the global median – Simpsonville, SC by 65%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.72 $17.72

$12.37 ₡5,563

43.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 $75.5

$62.4 ₡28.0K

21.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 $11.08

$11.71 ₡5,264

-5.38%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$4.54 ₡2,040

20.93%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$2.75 ₡1,238

-0.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.86 ₡837

6.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.35 ₡1,505

82.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.32 $7.32

$4.32 ₡1,944

69.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.36 ₡1,061

-58.90%

White Bread (500g)

$4.14 $4.14

$3.07 ₡1,379

34.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.51 ₡1,128

31.87%

Eggs

$3.85 $3.85

$3.53 ₡1,585

9.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.14 $15.14

$10.54 ₡4,738

43.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.82 $12.82

$10.57 ₡4,754

21.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.86 $17.86

$13.92 ₡6,261

28.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$5.20 ₡2,338

0.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.65 ₡740

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$4.89 ₡2,198

-6.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$3.84 ₡1,728

17.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$3.91 ₡1,757

-3.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.76 ₡1,692

-19.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.12 ₡504

76.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.22 ₡1,447

-38.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.58 $8.58

$6.02 ₡2,706

42.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.81 ₡1,264

-42.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$3.65 ₡1,643

-52.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.26 ₡1,018

53.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.78 ₡799

-15.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.30 $18.30

$7.90 ₡3,551

131.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.50 ₡673

-36.00%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-22.85%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-40.40%

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

$148 $148

$93.2 ₡41.9K

59.02%

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

$67.3 $67.3

$36.13 ₡16.2K

86.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.6 $78.6

$60.6 ₡27.2K

29.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$86.9 $86.9

$68.9 ₡31.0K

26.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$15.27 $15.27

$7.67 ₡3,449

99.09%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$972 ₡436.9K

55.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K $17.2K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-8.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.4 $51.4

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-27.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.46 $36.46

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-35.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 $85.9

$129 ₡57.8K

-33.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 $130

$131 ₡58.8K

-0.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,170 ₡525.9K

8.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$965 $965

$943 ₡424.1K

2.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,810 $1,810

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-8.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 $1,517

$1,400 ₡629.5K

8.34%

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)

$4,328 $4,328

$987 ₡443.6K

338.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Simpsonville, SC: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Simpsonville, SC

$965 43.1%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 2.2% $21

Groceries & Markets

Simpsonville, SC

$409 18.3%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 1.5% $6.3

Eating Out

Simpsonville, SC

$305 13.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 23.8% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Simpsonville, SC

$294 13.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 35.4% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Simpsonville, SC

$137 6.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 27.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Simpsonville, SC

$117 5.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 28.2% $33

Getting Around

Simpsonville, SC

$11 * 0.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 634% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,272 in Simpsonville, SC versus $1,170 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Simpsonville, SC are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Simpsonville, SC versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Simpsonville, SC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:24 4:24 PM

15:24 3:24 PM

1 h behind Simpsonville, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,234

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Simpsonville, SC San Jose 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Simpsonville, SC
San Jose

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

Simpsonville, SC vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Simpsonville, SC is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,356 per month in Simpsonville, SC and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,272 in Simpsonville, SC and $1,170 in San Jose. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Simpsonville, SC and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,511 per month in Simpsonville, SC and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,238 in Simpsonville, SC and $2,107 in San Jose, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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, Simpsonville, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.