Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Joseph, MO and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,577 in St. Joseph, MO, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in St. Joseph, MO outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

Cost of Living Index in St. Joseph, MO
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St. Joseph, MO Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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St. Joseph, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,577

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,577 per month in St. Joseph, MO vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

St. Joseph, MO $2,577
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,741 per month in St. Joseph, MO vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

St. Joseph, MO $3,741
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $4,905 per month in St. Joseph, MO vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

St. Joseph, MO $4,905
San Jose $3,929

St. Joseph, MO costs about 34% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both St. Joseph, MO and San Jose sit above the global median – St. Joseph, MO by 90%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.63 $18.63

$12.29 ₡5,513

51.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.9 $74.9

$62.3 ₡27.9K

20.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 $11.14

$11.53 ₡5,171

-3.38%

Cappuccino

$5.18 $5.18

$4.35 ₡1,953

19.08%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$2.64 ₡1,183

-6.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.86 ₡836

4.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.15 $6.15

$3.32 ₡1,490

85.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$4.52 ₡2,026

53.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.39 ₡1,073

-58.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.08 ₡1,381

16.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.50 ₡1,119

71.20%

Eggs

$4.13 $4.13

$3.48 ₡1,562

18.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 $12.08

$10.74 ₡4,815

12.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 $11.34

$10.32 ₡4,629

9.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.23 $15.23

$14.10 ₡6,325

8.01%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$5.03 ₡2,256

-0.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.59 ₡714

2.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$4.84 ₡2,171

-14.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$3.96 ₡1,776

19.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.76 ₡1,684

-26.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.73 ₡1,674

-26.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.08 ₡485

88.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$3.25 ₡1,456

-33.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.40 $9.40

$5.86 ₡2,627

60.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 $14.04

$20.28 ₡9,095

-30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.90 ₡1,300

-36.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$3.73 ₡1,673

-7.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.08 ₡486

89.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.50 ₡1,123

38.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.63 ₡732

-3.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.82 $28.82

$8.71 ₡3,904

230.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.58 ₡709

-46.20%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-12.50%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-37.44%

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

$185 $185

$93.7 ₡42.0K

97.25%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$35.42 ₡15.9K

46.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$60.0 ₡26.9K

13.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.46 $43.46

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-40.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$13.55 $13.55

$7.74 ₡3,471

75.06%

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

$1,299 $1,299

$1,005 ₡450.9K

29.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

37.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-30.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.79 $40.79

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-26.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$128 ₡57.5K

-31.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$130 ₡58.5K

-13.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,623 $1,623

$932 ₡418.0K

74.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 $1,358

$760 ₡340.8K

78.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,595 $2,595

$1,922 ₡862.0K

35.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,196 $2,196

$1,276 ₡572.1K

72.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 $2,784

$2,301 ₡1.0M

20.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,474 $2,474

$1,833 ₡821.9K

35.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for St. Joseph, MO: October 20, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Joseph, MO

$1.4K 52.7%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 44% $598

Groceries & Markets

St. Joseph, MO

$386 15%

San Jose

$403 21% 4.6% $18

Eating Out

St. Joseph, MO

$307 11.9%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 25.4% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Joseph, MO

$305 11.8%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 37.9% $115

Clothing & Footwear

St. Joseph, MO

$131 5.1%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 32.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

St. Joseph, MO

$71 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 24.8% $18

Getting Around

St. Joseph, MO

$20 * 0.8%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 312% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,623 in St. Joseph, MO versus $932 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in St. Joseph, MO versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $386 in St. Joseph, MO vs $403 in San Jose – so St. Joseph, MO wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 St. Joseph, MO

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

1 h behind St. Joseph, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,542

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St. Joseph, MO San Jose 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

St. Joseph, MO
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

St. Joseph, MO vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Joseph, MO is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,865 per month in St. Joseph, MO and $2,886 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,577 in St. Joseph, MO and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 34%.

Kindergarten costs $1,299 per month in St. Joseph, MO and $1,005 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in St. Joseph, MO at $2,577. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Joseph, MO it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, St. Joseph, MO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.