Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sumter, SC and San Jose

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

99

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Sumter, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,080

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.64 $17.64

$12.37 ₡5,563

42.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 $54.5

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-12.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 $10.85

$11.71 ₡5,264

-7.34%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$4.54 ₡2,040

25.11%

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

$1.85 $1.85

$2.75 ₡1,238

-32.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.86 ₡837

-26.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 $6.08

$3.35 ₡1,505

81.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 $7.10

$4.32 ₡1,944

64.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.36 ₡1,061

-55.93%

White Bread (500g)

$4.17 $4.17

$3.07 ₡1,379

35.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.51 ₡1,128

30.68%

Eggs

$4.44 $4.44

$3.53 ₡1,585

25.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.28 $16.28

$10.54 ₡4,738

54.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.91 $15.91

$10.57 ₡4,754

50.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.39 $18.39

$13.92 ₡6,261

32.11%

Apples (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$5.20 ₡2,338

1.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.65 ₡740

-9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$4.89 ₡2,198

-6.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.84 ₡1,728

22.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.91 ₡1,757

-5.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.76 ₡1,692

-19.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.12 ₡504

77.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$3.22 ₡1,447

-28.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.93 $8.93

$6.02 ₡2,706

48.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.81 ₡1,264

-16.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 $3.67

$3.65 ₡1,643

0.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.26 ₡1,018

53.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.78 ₡799

20.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$7.90 ₡3,551

274.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.50 ₡673

-46.67%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

4.83%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-40.28%

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

$177 $177

$93.2 ₡41.9K

90.10%

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

$67.7 $67.7

$36.13 ₡16.2K

87.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.5 $80.5

$60.6 ₡27.2K

32.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.14 $15.14

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-78.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.98 $4.98

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-80.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.90 $6.90

$7.67 ₡3,449

-10.04%

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

$1,468 $1,468

$972 ₡436.9K

51.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K $31.0K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

64.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-28.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.15 $37.15

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-34.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 $95.9

$129 ₡57.8K

-25.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$131 ₡58.8K

9.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 $1,021

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-12.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 $820

$943 ₡424.1K

-13.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 $1,343

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-32.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 $1,204

$1,400 ₡629.5K

-14.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,478 $1,478

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-44.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 $1,504

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-26.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,181 $4,181

$987 ₡443.6K

323.72%

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 Sumter, SC: 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

Sumter, SC

$820 39.4%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 15.1% $124

Groceries & Markets

Sumter, SC

$446 21.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 9.7% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sumter, SC

$325 15.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 41.6% $135

Eating Out

Sumter, SC

$299 14.4%

San Jose

$232 11% 22.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Sumter, SC

$147 7.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 18.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Sumter, SC

$29 1.4%

San Jose

$84 4% 191% $55

Getting Around

Sumter, SC

$14 * 0.7%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 467% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Sumter, 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 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 $54 in Sumter, SC versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $446 in Sumter, SC vs $403 in San Jose – so San Jose wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sumter, SC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

08:06 8:06 AM

1 h behind Sumter, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,159

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Sumter, 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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,121 per month in Sumter, SC 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 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 $54 in Sumter, 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 $1,468 per month in Sumter, SC and $972 in San Jose. 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 $2,080 in Sumter, SC and $2,107 in San Jose, 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.