Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Portland, ME and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,083 in South Portland, ME, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in South Portland, ME
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South Portland, ME Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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South Portland, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$3,083

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Portland, ME 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 South Portland, ME and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,083 per month in South Portland, ME vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

South Portland, ME $3,083
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,598 per month in South Portland, ME vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

South Portland, ME $4,598
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $6,113 per month in South Portland, ME vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

South Portland, ME $6,113
San Jose $4,054

South Portland, ME costs about 46% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both South Portland, ME and San Jose sit above the global median – South Portland, ME by 128%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.11 $25.11

$12.37 ₡5,546

102.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$62.4 ₡28.0K

90.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.81 $14.81

$11.71 ₡5,248

26.47%

Cappuccino

$5.36 $5.36

$4.54 ₡2,034

18.06%

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

$3.01 $3.01

$2.75 ₡1,234

9.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.86 ₡835

26.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.11 $8.11

$3.35 ₡1,501

142.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.85 $7.85

$4.32 ₡1,938

81.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.36 ₡1,057

-54.24%

White Bread (500g)

$4.60 $4.60

$3.07 ₡1,375

49.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$2.51 ₡1,124

182.47%

Eggs

$4.05 $4.05

$3.53 ₡1,580

14.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 $15.82

$10.54 ₡4,724

50.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.27 $10.27

$10.57 ₡4,740

-2.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.92 $15.92

$13.92 ₡6,242

14.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$5.20 ₡2,331

-7.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.65 ₡738

3.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$4.89 ₡2,191

13.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.67 $7.67

$3.84 ₡1,722

99.74%

Potato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.91 ₡1,752

11.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.76 ₡1,687

-3.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.12 ₡503

170.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$3.22 ₡1,443

-18.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.12 $12.12

$6.02 ₡2,698

101.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 $15.01

$19.84 ₡8,892

-24.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.81 ₡1,261

-30.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$3.65 ₡1,638

-29.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.08 ₡485

91.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.1 $57.1

$65.2 ₡29.2K

-12.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.26 ₡1,015

12.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.78 ₡797

-0.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.48 $28.48

$7.90 ₡3,540

260.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.50 ₡671

-23.33%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$33.5K ₡15.0M

-18.62%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.72%

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

$234 $234

$93.2 ₡41.8K

151.22%

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

$68.1 $68.1

$36.13 ₡16.2K

88.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.9 $77.9

$60.6 ₡27.2K

28.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.73 $39.73

$68.9 ₡30.9K

-42.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.99 $29.99

$24.94 ₡11.2K

20.25%

Cinema Ticket

$15.04 $15.04

$7.67 ₡3,439

96.09%

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

$407 $407

$972 ₡435.6K

-58.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

43.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$70.6 ₡31.7K

-26.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.39 $49.39

$56.7 ₡25.4K

-12.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$129 ₡57.7K

-19.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$131 ₡58.7K

0.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,926 $1,926

$1,170 ₡524.3K

64.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 $1,567

$943 ₡422.8K

66.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,164 $3,164

$1,984 ₡889.3K

59.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,599 $2,599

$1,400 ₡627.6K

85.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,781 $2,781

$2,681 ₡1.2M

3.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,340 $2,340

$2,037 ₡913.0K

14.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,216 $4,216

$987 ₡442.3K

327.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

8.62

-22.85%

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

Last update for South Portland, ME: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Portland, ME

$1.6K 50.8%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 39.8% $623

Groceries & Markets

South Portland, ME

$451 14.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 10.8% $49

Eating Out

South Portland, ME

$387 12.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 40% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Portland, ME

$380 12.3%

San Jose

$190 9% 50% $190

Clothing & Footwear

South Portland, ME

$151 4.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 15.1% $23

Getting Around

South Portland, ME

$77 2.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 5.1% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

South Portland, ME

$70 2.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 20.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,926 in South Portland, ME 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 South Portland, ME are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $119 in South Portland, ME versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $451 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 South Portland, ME

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

18:57 6:57 PM

1 h behind South Portland, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,498

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Portland, ME San Jose 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

South Portland, ME
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

South Portland, ME vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – South Portland, ME is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,625 per month in South Portland, ME and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,926 in South Portland, ME.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $119 in South Portland, ME and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,083 in South Portland, ME and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 32% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in South Portland, ME at $3,083. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in South Portland, ME it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $3,083 in South Portland, ME. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, South Portland, ME makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.