Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spartanburg, SC and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,279 in Spartanburg, SC, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

109

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Spartanburg, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,279

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,279 per month in Spartanburg, SC vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Spartanburg, SC $2,279
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,367 per month in Spartanburg, SC vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Spartanburg, SC $3,367
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,455 per month in Spartanburg, SC vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Spartanburg, SC $4,455
San Jose $4,054

Spartanburg, SC costs about 8% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Spartanburg, SC and San Jose sit above the global median – Spartanburg, SC by 69%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.15 $17.15

$12.37 ₡5,563

38.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.6 $59.6

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-4.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.01 $10.01

$11.71 ₡5,264

-14.52%

Cappuccino

$5.54 $5.54

$4.54 ₡2,040

22.03%

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

$2.15 $2.15

$2.75 ₡1,238

-21.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.86 ₡837

27.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 $4.88

$3.35 ₡1,505

45.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 $6.79

$4.32 ₡1,944

57.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.36 ₡1,061

-57.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.07 ₡1,379

14.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.51 ₡1,128

115.54%

Eggs

$3.67 $3.67

$3.53 ₡1,585

3.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.33 $13.33

$10.54 ₡4,738

26.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.87 $12.87

$10.57 ₡4,754

21.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$13.92 ₡6,261

17.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$5.20 ₡2,338

-37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.65 ₡740

45.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$4.89 ₡2,198

-18.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.01 $6.01

$3.84 ₡1,728

56.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$3.91 ₡1,757

-30.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$3.76 ₡1,692

-0.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.12 ₡504

98.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.22 ₡1,447

-7.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.14 $9.14

$6.02 ₡2,706

51.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.80 $16.80

$19.84 ₡8,919

-15.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 $6.84

$3.65 ₡1,643

87.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$119 $119

$65.2 ₡29.3K

83.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.50 ₡673

-42.67%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

6.10%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-35.70%

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

$175 $175

$93.2 ₡41.9K

87.46%

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

$92.4 $92.4

$36.13 ₡16.2K

155.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 $62.1

$60.6 ₡27.2K

2.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.47 $26.47

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-61.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$11.80 $11.80

$7.67 ₡3,449

53.85%

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

$946 $946

$972 ₡436.9K

-2.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.93 $41.93

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-40.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.49 $35.49

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-37.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 $78.9

$129 ₡57.8K

-38.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$131 ₡58.8K

-7.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 $1,277

$1,170 ₡525.9K

9.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$947 $947

$943 ₡424.1K

0.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,186 $2,186

$1,984 ₡892.0K

10.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 $1,575

$1,400 ₡629.5K

12.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,808 $1,808

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-32.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,822 $1,822

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-10.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,373 $3,373

$987 ₡443.6K

241.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.22

8.62

-16.24%

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

Last update for Spartanburg, SC: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spartanburg, SC

$947 41.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 0.4% $3.7

Groceries & Markets

Spartanburg, SC

$419 * 18.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 3.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spartanburg, SC

$329 14.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 42.3% $139

Eating Out

Spartanburg, SC

$290 12.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 19.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Spartanburg, SC

$125 5.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 39.4% $49

Getting Around

Spartanburg, SC

$119 * 5.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 32.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Spartanburg, SC

$50 2.2%

San Jose

$84 4% 68.3% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,277 in Spartanburg, 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 Spartanburg, SC are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Spartanburg, SC versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $419 in Spartanburg, SC vs $403 in San Jose – so San Jose wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Spartanburg, SC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

17:09 5:09 PM

1 h behind Spartanburg, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,013

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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Highest

Between locations

Spartanburg, SC San Jose 2,790 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Spartanburg, 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

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

Yes – Spartanburg, SC is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,419 per month in Spartanburg, 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 $1,277 in Spartanburg, 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 $60 in Spartanburg, SC 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 $2,279 in Spartanburg, SC and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 8% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,279 in Spartanburg, SC. 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, Spartanburg, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.