Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aliso Viejo, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in Aliso Viejo, CA
Learn more

Aliso Viejo, CA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Aliso Viejo, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,964

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Aliso Viejo, CA $3,964
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,003 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Aliso Viejo, CA $6,003
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,043 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Aliso Viejo, CA $8,043
San Jose $3,929

Living in Aliso Viejo, CA is roughly 106% 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: Aliso Viejo, CA 193% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.73 $24.73

$12.29 ₡5,513

101.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.4 $98.4

$62.3 ₡27.9K

58.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.32 $14.32

$11.53 ₡5,171

24.20%

Cappuccino

$5.91 $5.91

$4.35 ₡1,953

35.86%

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

$3.51 $3.51

$2.64 ₡1,183

32.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.86 ₡836

50.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.22 $8.22

$3.32 ₡1,490

147.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.94 $9.94

$4.52 ₡2,026

119.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.39 ₡1,073

-51.88%

White Bread (500g)

$4.77 $4.77

$3.08 ₡1,381

54.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$2.50 ₡1,119

88.80%

Eggs

$5.08 $5.08

$3.48 ₡1,562

45.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$10.74 ₡4,815

5.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.09 $16.09

$10.32 ₡4,629

55.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.67 $17.67

$14.10 ₡6,325

25.32%

Apples (1kg)

$5.50 $5.50

$5.03 ₡2,256

9.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.59 ₡714

8.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$4.84 ₡2,171

-3.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.62 $6.62

$3.96 ₡1,776

67.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.76 ₡1,684

-3.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.73 ₡1,674

-24.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.08 ₡485

103.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$3.25 ₡1,456

-25.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.92 $11.92

$5.86 ₡2,627

103.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 $15.26

$20.28 ₡9,095

-24.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$2.90 ₡1,300

-37.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$3.73 ₡1,673

-16.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.08 ₡486

184.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.50 ₡1,123

78.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.63 ₡732

17.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.04 $32.04

$8.71 ₡3,904

267.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.58 ₡709

0.63%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

4.13%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-35.17%

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

$212 $212

$93.7 ₡42.0K

126.19%

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

$71.5 $71.5

$35.42 ₡15.9K

101.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$60.0 ₡26.9K

18.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.84 $38.84

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-46.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$17.19 $17.19

$7.74 ₡3,471

122.09%

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

$1,698 $1,698

$1,005 ₡450.9K

68.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K $31.8K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

88.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 $72.5

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-0.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 $65.1

$55.4 ₡24.9K

17.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$128 ₡57.5K

-9.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$169 $169

$130 ₡58.5K

29.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,908 $2,908

$932 ₡418.0K

212.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,466 $2,466

$760 ₡340.8K

224.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,191 $4,191

$1,922 ₡862.0K

118.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,644 $4,644

$1,276 ₡572.1K

264.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,007 $7,007

$2,301 ₡1.0M

204.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,500 $6,500

$1,833 ₡821.9K

254.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,985 $7,985

$1,029 ₡461.3K

676.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

8.62

-20.42%

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

Last update for Aliso Viejo, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aliso Viejo, CA

$2.5K 62.2%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 69.2% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Aliso Viejo, CA

$456 11.5%

San Jose

$403 21% 11.5% $53

Eating Out

Aliso Viejo, CA

$398 10%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 42.5% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aliso Viejo, CA

$355 8.9%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 46.7% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Aliso Viejo, CA

$190 4.8%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 8.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Aliso Viejo, CA

$73 1.9%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 20.3% $15

Getting Around

Aliso Viejo, CA

$26 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 206% $54

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 $2,908 in Aliso Viejo, CA and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aliso Viejo, CA pays 676% 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: $98.0 in Aliso Viejo, CA vs $62.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $456 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aliso Viejo, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

16:49 4:49 PM

1 h ahead of Aliso Viejo, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,489

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Aliso Viejo, CA San Jose 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Aliso Viejo, 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

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

Aliso Viejo, CA and San Jose differ by about 106% in total monthly costs ($3,964 vs $1,924 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 676% higher in Aliso Viejo, 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: $2,908 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Aliso Viejo, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,964 per month in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $1,924 in San Jose – a 106% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Aliso Viejo, 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, Aliso Viejo, 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 106% less than in Aliso Viejo, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.