Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tupelo, MS and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Tupelo, MS: $1,849 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in San Jose despite lower rent and utilities.

90

Cost of Living Index in Tupelo, MS
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Tupelo, MS Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Tupelo, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,849

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,849 per month in Tupelo, MS vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Tupelo, MS $1,849
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $2,683 per month in Tupelo, MS vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Tupelo, MS $2,683
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $3,516 per month in Tupelo, MS vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Tupelo, MS $3,516
San Jose $3,857

Tupelo, MS is about 5% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tupelo, MS and San Jose sit above the global median – Tupelo, MS by 38%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 $17.18

$12.22 ₡5,510

40.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.5 $72.5

$60.1 ₡27.1K

20.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 $11.13

$11.77 ₡5,305

-5.44%

Cappuccino

$4.86 $4.86

$4.30 ₡1,939

13.02%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$2.72 ₡1,226

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.84 ₡830

1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.28 ₡1,480

88.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 $7.34

$4.36 ₡1,966

68.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$2.38 ₡1,074

-65.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 $3.00

$3.12 ₡1,408

-3.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$2.41 ₡1,086

-37.76%

Eggs

$4.38 $4.38

$3.47 ₡1,564

26.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.40 $9.40

$10.57 ₡4,767

-11.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.44 $7.44

$10.56 ₡4,758

-29.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 $14.25

$13.75 ₡6,196

3.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$5.04 ₡2,274

-41.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.61 ₡727

-33.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$4.59 ₡2,069

-27.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.84 ₡1,731

-43.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$3.77 ₡1,700

-30.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$3.76 ₡1,693

-41.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.12 ₡506

70.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$3.20 ₡1,441

-43.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.87 $7.87

$5.84 ₡2,632

34.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.18 $14.18

$19.73 ₡8,897

-28.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.75 ₡1,240

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.66 ₡1,650

-10.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.12 ₡503

73.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.46 ₡1,110

78.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.54 ₡692

24.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.52 $32.52

$8.46 ₡3,815

284.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 $0.69

$1.55 ₡699

-55.48%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

58.62%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-27.03%

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

$167 $167

$94.7 ₡42.7K

76.76%

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

$65.8 $65.8

$35.11 ₡15.8K

87.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.4 $71.4

$58.6 ₡26.4K

21.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.58 $40.58

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-43.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 $12.18

$7.83 ₡3,532

55.56%

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

$1,558 $1,558

$971 ₡437.9K

60.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,513 $8,513

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-49.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.3 $73.3

$71.6 ₡32.3K

2.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.9 $52.9

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-3.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$129 ₡58.2K

-33.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

$133 ₡60.0K

13.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$684 $684

$934 ₡420.9K

-26.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$704 $704

$770 ₡347.2K

-8.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 $1,410

$1,945 ₡876.7K

-27.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 $1,005

$1,316 ₡593.5K

-23.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,457 $1,457

$2,277 ₡1.0M

-36.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,502 $1,502

$1,795 ₡809.1K

-16.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,621 $2,621

$1,006 ₡453.5K

160.57%

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 Tupelo, MS: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tupelo, MS

$704 38%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 9.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tupelo, MS

$305 16.5%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 38.1% $116

Groceries & Markets

Tupelo, MS

$300 16.2%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 33% $99

Eating Out

Tupelo, MS

$292 15.8%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 21.8% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Tupelo, MS

$163 8.8%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Tupelo, MS

$65 3.5%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 35.2% $23

Getting Around

Tupelo, MS

$22 * 1.2%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 266% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $684 in Tupelo, MS versus $934 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 run about 161% higher in Tupelo, MS, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Tupelo, MS versus $60.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $300 in Tupelo, MS vs $399 in San Jose – so Tupelo, MS wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tupelo, MS

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

08:33 8:33 AM

1 h behind Tupelo, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,114

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tupelo, MS San Jose 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Tupelo, MS
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

Tupelo, MS vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,774 per month in Tupelo, MS and $2,924 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tupelo, MS, 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 $1,849 in Tupelo, MS and $1,949 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $1,558 per month in Tupelo, MS and $971 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tupelo, MS, where all-in costs run around $1,849, than in San Jose at $1,949. In Tupelo, MS it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tupelo, MS – 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 Tupelo, MS. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.