Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alhambra, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $3,606 in Alhambra, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

173

Cost of Living Index in Alhambra, CA
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Alhambra, CA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Alhambra, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,606

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,606 in Alhambra, CA versus $1,949 in San Jose.

Alhambra, CA $3,606
San Jose $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,604 in Alhambra, CA versus $2,903 in San Jose.

Alhambra, CA $4,604
San Jose $2,903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Alhambra, CA versus $3,857 in San Jose.

Alhambra, CA $5,603
San Jose $3,857

Living in Alhambra, CA is roughly 85% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alhambra, CA 169% above, San Jose 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.88 $24.88

$12.22 ₡5,510

103.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 $77.9

$60.1 ₡27.1K

29.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.96 $14.96

$11.77 ₡5,305

27.10%

Cappuccino

$6.10 $6.10

$4.30 ₡1,939

41.86%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$2.72 ₡1,226

12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.84 ₡830

31.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.04 $7.04

$3.28 ₡1,480

114.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.11 $10.11

$4.36 ₡1,966

131.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$2.38 ₡1,074

-42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.12 ₡1,408

63.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.41 ₡1,086

90.46%

Eggs

$5.91 $5.91

$3.47 ₡1,564

70.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$10.57 ₡4,767

7.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.82 $8.82

$10.56 ₡4,758

-16.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.79 $19.79

$13.75 ₡6,196

43.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$5.04 ₡2,274

-4.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.61 ₡727

37.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$4.59 ₡2,069

-13.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.64 $5.64

$3.84 ₡1,731

46.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.77 ₡1,700

-15.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.76 ₡1,693

-16.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.12 ₡506

86.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.20 ₡1,441

-11.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.73 $11.73

$5.84 ₡2,632

100.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$19.73 ₡8,897

-22.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.75 ₡1,240

-9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.66 ₡1,650

-24.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.12 ₡503

73.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$65.1 ₡29.4K

69.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.46 ₡1,110

24.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.54 ₡692

18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.56 $32.56

$8.46 ₡3,815

284.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.55 ₡699

-6.45%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

70.36%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-24.02%

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

$284 $284

$94.7 ₡42.7K

199.89%

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

$76.1 $76.1

$35.11 ₡15.8K

116.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.9 $72.9

$58.6 ₡26.4K

24.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.65 $41.65

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-42.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.80 $15.80

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-37.28%

Cinema Ticket

$19.77 $19.77

$7.83 ₡3,532

152.49%

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

$1,157 $1,157

$971 ₡437.9K

19.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.5K $32.5K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

91.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 $62.7

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-12.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.26 $48.26

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-12.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$129 ₡58.2K

-19.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$133 ₡60.0K

-23.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,328 $2,328

$934 ₡420.9K

149.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 $1,921

$770 ₡347.2K

149.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,539 $2,539

$1,945 ₡876.7K

30.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,118 $2,118

$1,316 ₡593.5K

60.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 $2,773

$2,277 ₡1.0M

21.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,375 $2,375

$1,795 ₡809.1K

32.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,816 $4,816

$1,006 ₡453.5K

378.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

8.62

-26.80%

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

Last update for Alhambra, CA: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alhambra, CA

$1.9K 54.3%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 59.9% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alhambra, CA

$433 12.3%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 56.5% $245

Groceries & Markets

Alhambra, CA

$432 12.2%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 7.7% $33

Eating Out

Alhambra, CA

$394 11.2%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 42.2% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Alhambra, CA

$143 4%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 22.7% $32

Getting Around

Alhambra, CA

$130 3.7%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 38.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Alhambra, CA

$81 2.3%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 8.2% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,328 in Alhambra, CA and $934 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alhambra, CA pays 379% 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: $78.0 in Alhambra, CA vs $60.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $432 vs $399 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alhambra, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

1 h ahead of Alhambra, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,089

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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Alhambra, CA San Jose 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Alhambra, CA
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

Alhambra, CA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alhambra, CA and San Jose differ by about 85% in total monthly costs ($3,606 vs $1,949 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 379% higher in Alhambra, CA, 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: $2,328 in Alhambra, CA versus $934 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Alhambra, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $78.0 in Alhambra, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,949 in San Jose versus $3,606 in Alhambra, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Alhambra, CA. 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.

Safety-wise, Alhambra, CA and San Jose are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Alhambra, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.