Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alpharetta, GA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,009 in Alpharetta, GA, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Alpharetta, GA
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Alpharetta, GA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Alpharetta, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,009

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,009 in Alpharetta, GA versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Alpharetta, GA $3,009
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,281 in Alpharetta, GA versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Alpharetta, GA $4,281
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,553 in Alpharetta, GA versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Alpharetta, GA $5,553
San Jose $4,054

Living in Alpharetta, GA is roughly 43% 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: Alpharetta, GA 123% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.10 $26.10

$12.37 ₡5,563

110.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.3 $80.3

$62.4 ₡28.0K

28.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$11.71 ₡5,264

-15.63%

Cappuccino

$4.63 $4.63

$4.54 ₡2,040

1.98%

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

$2.50 $2.50

$2.75 ₡1,238

-9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.86 ₡837

13.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.35 ₡1,505

75.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 $7.34

$4.32 ₡1,944

69.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$2.36 ₡1,061

-63.98%

White Bread (500g)

$4.18 $4.18

$3.07 ₡1,379

36.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$2.51 ₡1,128

135.46%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$3.53 ₡1,585

31.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.68 $11.68

$10.54 ₡4,738

10.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.91 $8.91

$10.57 ₡4,754

-15.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.38 $20.38

$13.92 ₡6,261

46.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$5.20 ₡2,338

-13.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.65 ₡740

32.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$4.89 ₡2,198

-17.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$3.84 ₡1,728

21.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$3.91 ₡1,757

-2.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$3.76 ₡1,692

-2.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.12 ₡504

108.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.22 ₡1,447

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.90 $8.90

$6.02 ₡2,706

47.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.87 $14.87

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.81 ₡1,264

-36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$3.65 ₡1,643

8.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.08 ₡487

125.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.4 $93.4

$65.2 ₡29.3K

43.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.26 ₡1,018

29.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.78 ₡799

32.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 $39.84

$7.90 ₡3,551

404.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.50 ₡673

-38.67%

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

$32.4K $32.4K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-3.31%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.94%

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

$255 $255

$93.2 ₡41.9K

173.68%

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

$55.0 $55.0

$36.13 ₡16.2K

52.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.8 $88.8

$60.6 ₡27.2K

46.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.98 $49.98

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-27.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.78 $22.78

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-8.66%

Cinema Ticket

$17.07 $17.07

$7.67 ₡3,449

122.56%

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

$1,311 $1,311

$972 ₡436.9K

34.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

23.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 $77.3

$70.6 ₡31.8K

9.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.45 $44.45

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-21.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 $129

$129 ₡57.8K

-0.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$131 ₡58.8K

6.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,010 $2,010

$1,170 ₡525.9K

71.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 $1,460

$943 ₡424.1K

54.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,704 $2,704

$1,984 ₡892.0K

36.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,190 $2,190

$1,400 ₡629.5K

56.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,331 $4,331

$2,681 ₡1.2M

61.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,677 $4,677

$2,037 ₡915.8K

129.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,208 $6,208

$987 ₡443.6K

529.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.73

8.62

-21.93%

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

Last update for Alpharetta, GA: 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

Alpharetta, GA

$1.5K 48.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 35.4% $517

Groceries & Markets

Alpharetta, GA

$416 13.8%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 3.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alpharetta, GA

$399 13.3%

San Jose

$190 9% 52.4% $209

Eating Out

Alpharetta, GA

$356 11.9%

San Jose

$232 11% 34.8% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Alpharetta, GA

$175 5.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 0.7% $1.3

Getting Around

Alpharetta, GA

$118 3.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 31.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Alpharetta, GA

$84 2.8%

San Jose

$84 4% 0.2% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,010 in Alpharetta, GA and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alpharetta, GA pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Alpharetta, GA vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $416 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alpharetta, GA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

1 h behind Alpharetta, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,799

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alpharetta, GA San Jose 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Alpharetta, GA
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

Alpharetta, GA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Alpharetta, GA is about 6.3 times higher, 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: $2,010 in Alpharetta, GA versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 30% less than in Alpharetta, GA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,311 in Alpharetta, GA versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,009 in Alpharetta, GA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Alpharetta, GA. 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Alpharetta, GA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.