Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abilene, TX and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,186 in Abilene, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Abilene, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Abilene, TX
Learn more

Abilene, TX Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Abilene, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,186

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,186 in Abilene, TX versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Abilene, TX $2,186
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,178 in Abilene, TX versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Abilene, TX $3,178
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,169 in Abilene, TX versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Abilene, TX $4,169
San Jose $3,934

Living in Abilene, TX is roughly 13% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Abilene, TX 62% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 $18.06

$12.38 ₡5,551

45.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.4 $64.4

$60.9 ₡27.3K

5.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 $9.13

$11.45 ₡5,135

-20.26%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.39 ₡1,967

24.60%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$2.70 ₡1,211

-11.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.93 ₡864

-3.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.20 ₡1,433

55.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$4.41 ₡1,979

31.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.44 ₡1,093

-57.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 $2.32

$3.05 ₡1,369

-23.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$2.41 ₡1,081

133.61%

Eggs

$3.73 $3.73

$3.40 ₡1,523

9.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 $8.39

$10.75 ₡4,823

-21.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$10.43 ₡4,679

24.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$13.99 ₡6,273

0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$5.25 ₡2,353

-35.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.59 ₡712

-38.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$4.69 ₡2,103

-0.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$3.95 ₡1,770

34.18%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$3.92 ₡1,760

7.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.68 ₡1,651

-4.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.12 ₡503

121.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.19 ₡1,429

-38.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 $5.85

$6.00 ₡2,692

-2.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.31 $11.31

$19.56 ₡8,771

-42.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.82 ₡1,263

-9.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$3.59 ₡1,611

14.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.12 ₡503

52.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 $53.3

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-20.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.86 $14.86

$8.50 ₡3,812

74.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.56 ₡701

-44.87%

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

$19.1K $19.1K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

-14.70%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-31.25%

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

$236 $236

$95.2 ₡42.7K

148.19%

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

$58.7 $58.7

$35.58 ₡16.0K

64.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 $61.3

$58.6 ₡26.3K

4.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.16 $20.16

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-72.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$12.02 $12.02

$7.58 ₡3,401

58.58%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.11 $42.11

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-40.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.74 $19.74

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-64.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.9 $62.9

$130 ₡58.2K

-51.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 $65.6

$131 ₡58.7K

-49.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 $1,160

$927 ₡415.8K

25.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$981 $981

$774 ₡347.2K

26.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 $1,847

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-6.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 $1,601

$1,288 ₡577.6K

24.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,667 $1,667

$2,274 ₡1.0M

-26.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,711 $1,711

$1,831 ₡821.0K

-6.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,281 $3,281

$1,016 ₡455.8K

222.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

8.62

-24.71%

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

Last update for Abilene, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abilene, TX

$981 44.9%

San Jose

$774 40% 21.1% $207

Groceries & Markets

Abilene, TX

$368 16.8%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abilene, TX

$356 16.3%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 46.8% $167

Eating Out

Abilene, TX

$291 13.3%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 21.2% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Abilene, TX

$86 3.9%

San Jose

$174 9% 103% $88

Getting Around

Abilene, TX

$60 * 2.8%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 36.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Abilene, TX

$44 2%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 98.8% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,160 in Abilene, TX and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abilene, TX pays 223% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Abilene, TX vs $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $368 vs $401, with Abilene, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Abilene, TX

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

02:27 2:27 AM

1 h behind Abilene, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,182

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Abilene, TX San Jose 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Abilene, TX
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

Abilene, TX vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abilene, TX and San Jose differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,186 vs $1,938 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 223% higher in Abilene, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,160 in Abilene, TX versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $64.0 in Abilene, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 25% less than in Abilene, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,186 in Abilene, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Abilene, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Abilene, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.