Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acton, MA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,200 in Acton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Acton, MA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

153

Cost of Living Index in Acton, MA
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Acton, MA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Acton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,200

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,200 per month in Acton, MA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Acton, MA $3,200
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,824 per month in Acton, MA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Acton, MA $4,824
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $6,449 per month in Acton, MA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Acton, MA $6,449
San Jose $4,054

Acton, MA costs about 52% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Acton, MA and San Jose sit above the global median – Acton, MA by 137%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.77 $16.77

$12.37 ₡5,563

35.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.9 $92.9

$62.4 ₡28.0K

48.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.08 $15.08

$11.71 ₡5,264

28.78%

Cappuccino

$5.52 $5.52

$4.54 ₡2,040

21.59%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$2.75 ₡1,238

2.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.86 ₡837

44.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.35 ₡1,505

50.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.89 $7.89

$4.32 ₡1,944

82.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.36 ₡1,061

-59.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 $2.38

$3.07 ₡1,379

-22.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$2.51 ₡1,128

112.75%

Eggs

$4.68 $4.68

$3.53 ₡1,585

32.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 $11.44

$10.54 ₡4,738

8.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.57 $14.57

$10.57 ₡4,754

37.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.32 $17.32

$13.92 ₡6,261

24.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$5.20 ₡2,338

-18.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.65 ₡740

4.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$4.89 ₡2,198

-39.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$3.84 ₡1,728

0.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$3.91 ₡1,757

-48.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$3.76 ₡1,692

-27.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.12 ₡504

66.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$3.22 ₡1,447

-68.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.47 $13.47

$6.02 ₡2,706

123.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.94 $8.94

$19.84 ₡8,919

-54.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.81 ₡1,264

-26.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.65 ₡1,643

9.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.26 ₡1,018

78.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.78 ₡799

36.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.42 $40.42

$7.90 ₡3,551

411.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.50 ₡673

-40.00%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-19.15%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.12%

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

$316 $316

$93.2 ₡41.9K

239.50%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$36.13 ₡16.2K

67.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.9 $72.9

$60.6 ₡27.2K

20.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.20 $25.20

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-63.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.13 $13.13

$7.67 ₡3,449

71.19%

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

$1,824 $1,824

$972 ₡436.9K

87.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.0K $44.0K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

133.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-21.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.85 $38.85

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-31.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 $80.5

$129 ₡57.8K

-37.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$131 ₡58.8K

-22.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$1,170 ₡525.9K

129.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 $1,887

$943 ₡424.1K

100.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,957 $2,957

$1,984 ₡892.0K

49.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,602 $3,602

$1,400 ₡629.5K

157.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,156 $9,156

$987 ₡443.6K

827.96%

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 Acton, MA: November 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Acton, MA

$1.9K 59%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 50% $944

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acton, MA

$450 14.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 57.8% $260

Groceries & Markets

Acton, MA

$362 11.3%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 11.1% $40

Eating Out

Acton, MA

$309 9.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 24.7% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Acton, MA

$125 3.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 39.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Acton, MA

$51 1.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 63.8% $33

Getting Around

Acton, MA

$16 * 0.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 399% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,682 in Acton, MA 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 Acton, MA are about 9.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $93 in Acton, MA versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $362 in Acton, MA vs $403 in San Jose – so Acton, MA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Acton, MA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

21:40 9:40 PM

1 h behind Acton, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,596

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 = 0.891 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

Acton, MA San Jose 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Acton, MA
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

Acton, MA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acton, MA costs about 52% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,800 per month in Acton, MA 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 San Jose, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $2,682 in Acton, MA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,200 in Acton, MA and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 34% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,824 per month in Acton, MA and $972 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 $2,107, than in Acton, MA at $3,200. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Acton, MA 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Acton, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.