Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albuquerque, NM and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,253 in Albuquerque, NM, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Albuquerque, NM outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

109

Cost of Living Index in Albuquerque, NM
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Albuquerque, NM Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Albuquerque, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,253

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,253 per month in Albuquerque, NM vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Albuquerque, NM $2,253
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,296 per month in Albuquerque, NM vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Albuquerque, NM $3,296
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,339 per month in Albuquerque, NM vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Albuquerque, NM $4,339
San Jose $4,054

Albuquerque, NM costs about 7% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Albuquerque, NM and San Jose sit above the global median – Albuquerque, NM by 67%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.94 $16.94

$12.37 ₡5,563

36.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 $59.8

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-4.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$11.71 ₡5,264

-13.92%

Cappuccino

$4.97 $4.97

$4.54 ₡2,040

9.47%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$2.75 ₡1,238

7.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.86 ₡837

30.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 $5.95

$3.35 ₡1,505

77.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.32 ₡1,944

88.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.36 ₡1,061

-58.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.07 ₡1,379

7.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.51 ₡1,128

76.49%

Eggs

$4.92 $4.92

$3.53 ₡1,585

39.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 $11.71

$10.54 ₡4,738

11.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 $9.31

$10.57 ₡4,754

-11.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.04 $20.04

$13.92 ₡6,261

43.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$5.20 ₡2,338

-9.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.65 ₡740

-9.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$4.89 ₡2,198

-14.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$3.84 ₡1,728

39.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$3.91 ₡1,757

-20.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$3.76 ₡1,692

-14.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.12 ₡504

76.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.22 ₡1,447

-13.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 $10.85

$6.02 ₡2,706

80.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.80 $13.80

$19.84 ₡8,919

-30.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.81 ₡1,264

-10.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.65 ₡1,643

-3.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.26 ₡1,018

70.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.78 ₡799

19.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.55 $34.55

$7.90 ₡3,551

337.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.50 ₡673

-28.67%

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

$30.1K $30.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-10.22%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-40.19%

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

$155 $155

$93.2 ₡41.9K

66.24%

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

$64.0 $64.0

$36.13 ₡16.2K

77.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

17.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.87 $39.87

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-42.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.96 $13.96

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-44.03%

Cinema Ticket

$13.19 $13.19

$7.67 ₡3,449

71.97%

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

$1,330 $1,330

$972 ₡436.9K

36.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K $22.9K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

21.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-24.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.42 $44.42

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-21.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$129 ₡57.8K

-17.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$131 ₡58.8K

-8.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,472 $1,472

$1,170 ₡525.9K

25.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 $1,041

$943 ₡424.1K

10.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,582 $2,582

$1,984 ₡892.0K

30.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 $1,677

$1,400 ₡629.5K

19.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,712 $2,712

$2,681 ₡1.2M

1.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,095 $2,095

$2,037 ₡915.8K

2.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,829 $3,829

$987 ₡443.6K

288.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

8.62

-21.58%

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

Last update for Albuquerque, NM: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Albuquerque, NM

$1K 46.2%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 9.4% $98

Groceries & Markets

Albuquerque, NM

$402 17.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 0.1% $0.4

Eating Out

Albuquerque, NM

$293 13%

San Jose

$232 11% 20.7% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albuquerque, NM

$290 12.9%

San Jose

$190 9% 34.5% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Albuquerque, NM

$145 6.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 19.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Albuquerque, NM

$66 2.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 27.2% $18

Getting Around

Albuquerque, NM

$14 * 0.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 459% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,472 in Albuquerque, NM 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 Albuquerque, NM are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Albuquerque, NM versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $402 vs $403 – making Albuquerque, NM the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Albuquerque, NM

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

10:43 10:43 AM

11:43 11:43 AM

1 h ahead of Albuquerque, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

564,559

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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Between locations

Albuquerque, NM San Jose 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Albuquerque, NM
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

Albuquerque, NM vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Albuquerque, NM costs about 7% 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 $3,379 per month in Albuquerque, NM 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 $1,472 in Albuquerque, NM.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,253 in Albuquerque, NM and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 6% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Albuquerque, NM and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,253 in Albuquerque, NM and $2,107 in San Jose, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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, Albuquerque, NM makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.