Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abingdon, VA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Abingdon, VA: $1,795 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Abingdon, VA, United States
San Jose, Costa Rica
Abingdon, VA
🇺🇸 United States
$1,795
/mo nomad
San Jose
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$2,107
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,795 per month in Abingdon, VA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Abingdon, VA $1,795
  • San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $2,842 per month in Abingdon, VA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Abingdon, VA $2,842
  • San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $3,889 per month in Abingdon, VA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Abingdon, VA $3,889
  • San Jose $4,054

Abingdon, VA is about 15% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Abingdon, VA and San Jose sit above the global median – Abingdon, VA by 33%, San Jose by 56%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Abingdon, VA
San Jose
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.70 $22.70
$12.37 ₡5,563
83.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.7 $74.7
$62.4 ₡28.0K
19.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.02 $10.02
$11.71 ₡5,264
-14.43%
Cappuccino
$5.31 $5.31
$4.54 ₡2,040
16.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 $1.79
$2.75 ₡1,238
-34.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 $2.02
$1.86 ₡837
8.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.95 $4.95
$3.35 ₡1,505
47.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.84 $5.84
$4.32 ₡1,944
35.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Abingdon, VA
San Jose
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 $1.12
$2.36 ₡1,061
-52.54%
White Bread (500g)
$3.68 $3.68
$3.07 ₡1,379
19.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$8.15 $8.15
$2.51 ₡1,128
224.70%
Eggs
$3.74 $3.74
$3.53 ₡1,585
5.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.28 $18.28
$10.54 ₡4,738
73.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.67 $13.67
$10.57 ₡4,754
29.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.34 $18.34
$13.92 ₡6,261
31.75%
Apples (1kg)
$7.81 $7.81
$5.20 ₡2,338
50.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.47 $1.47
$1.65 ₡740
-10.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.04 $6.04
$4.89 ₡2,198
23.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.95 $4.95
$3.84 ₡1,728
28.91%
Potato (1kg)
$3.25 $3.25
$3.91 ₡1,757
-16.88%
Onion (1kg)
$2.95 $2.95
$3.76 ₡1,692
-21.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.99 $1.99
$1.12 ₡504
77.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$3.46 $3.46
$3.22 ₡1,447
7.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.80 $7.80
$6.02 ₡2,706
29.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.76 $13.76
$19.84 ₡8,919
-30.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 $1.61
$2.81 ₡1,264
-42.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.02 $4.02
$3.65 ₡1,643
10.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Abingdon, VA
San Jose
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.08 ₡487
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$65.2 ₡29.3K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.53 $3.53
$2.26 ₡1,018
56.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.33 $1.33
$1.78 ₡799
-25.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.98 $14.98
$7.90 ₡3,551
89.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.91 $0.91
$1.50 ₡673
-39.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K $30.5K
$33.5K ₡15.1M
-8.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K $26.1K
$42.3K ₡19.0M
-38.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Abingdon, VA
San Jose
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$173 $173
$93.2 ₡41.9K
85.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.49 $35.49
$36.13 ₡16.2K
-1.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$62.9 $62.9
$60.6 ₡27.2K
3.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Abingdon, VA
San Jose
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$68.9 ₡31.0K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$24.94 ₡11.2K
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.93 $11.93
$7.67 ₡3,449
55.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Abingdon, VA
San Jose
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,325 $1,325
$972 ₡436.9K
36.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.5K $25.5K
$18.9K ₡8.5M
35.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Abingdon, VA
San Jose
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$34.34 $34.34
$70.6 ₡31.8K
-51.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.66 $29.66
$56.7 ₡25.5K
-47.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.1 $64.1
$129 ₡57.8K
-50.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 $79.6
$131 ₡58.8K
-39.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Abingdon, VA
San Jose
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$741 $741
$1,170 ₡525.9K
-36.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$590 $590
$943 ₡424.1K
-37.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,343 $1,343
$1,984 ₡892.0K
-32.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,166 $1,166
$1,400 ₡629.5K
-16.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,681 ₡1.2M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,037 ₡915.8K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Abingdon, VA
San Jose
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$987 ₡443.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.13
8.62
-28.89%

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

Last update for Abingdon, VA: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Abingdon, VA
$590
San Jose
$943 59.8% $353
Groceries & Markets
Abingdon, VA
$479
San Jose
$403 16% $77
Eating Out
Abingdon, VA
$327
San Jose
$232 28.9% $95
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Abingdon, VA
$271
San Jose
$190 30% $82
Clothing & Footwear
Abingdon, VA
$93
San Jose
$174 86.2% $81
Sport & Entertainment
Abingdon, VA
$24 *
San Jose
$84 253% $60
Getting Around
Abingdon, VA
$10 *
San Jose
$81 693% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $741 in Abingdon, VA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Abingdon, VA versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $479 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Abingdon, VA
🇨🇷 San Jose
🕒 Local time
08:47 8:47 AM
07:47 7:47 AM
1 h behind Abingdon, VA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,000
342,188 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Abingdon, VA San Jose 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Abingdon, VA
  • 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
Abingdon, VA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Abingdon, VA and in San Jose compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,795 in Abingdon, VA, $2,107 in San Jose – Abingdon, VA comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Abingdon, VA compared to San Jose?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,693 per month in Abingdon, VA and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Abingdon, VA and San Jose?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Abingdon, VA, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $741 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Abingdon, VA and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in San Jose – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
How far does $3,000 go in Abingdon, VA compared to San Jose?
$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,795 in Abingdon, VA and $2,107 in San Jose, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Abingdon, VA and San Jose?
It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,795 in Abingdon, VA to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Abingdon, VA vs other spots: cost of living compared

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