Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amarillo, TX and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,282 in Amarillo, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Amarillo, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Amarillo, TX
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Amarillo, TX Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Amarillo, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,282

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,282 per month in Amarillo, TX vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Amarillo, TX $2,282
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,529 per month in Amarillo, TX vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Amarillo, TX $3,529
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $4,775 per month in Amarillo, TX vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Amarillo, TX $4,775
San Jose $3,929

Amarillo, TX costs about 19% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Amarillo, TX and San Jose sit above the global median – Amarillo, TX by 68%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.80 $14.80

$12.29 ₡5,513

20.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 $68.3

$62.3 ₡27.9K

9.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.07 $13.07

$11.53 ₡5,171

13.36%

Cappuccino

$6.94 $6.94

$4.35 ₡1,953

59.54%

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

$2.30 $2.30

$2.64 ₡1,183

-12.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.86 ₡836

-15.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.32 ₡1,490

23.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.14 $7.14

$4.52 ₡2,026

57.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.39 ₡1,073

-49.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.23 $3.23

$3.08 ₡1,381

4.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.50 ₡1,119

35.60%

Eggs

$4.44 $4.44

$3.48 ₡1,562

27.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.18 $16.18

$10.74 ₡4,815

50.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.66 $12.66

$10.32 ₡4,629

22.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.71 $27.71

$14.10 ₡6,325

96.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$5.03 ₡2,256

-15.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.59 ₡714

16.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$4.84 ₡2,171

-4.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.96 ₡1,776

-1.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$3.76 ₡1,684

-40.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.73 ₡1,674

-24.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.08 ₡485

52.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.25 ₡1,456

-20.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.01 $10.01

$5.86 ₡2,627

70.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.78 $11.78

$20.28 ₡9,095

-41.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.90 ₡1,300

-28.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.73 ₡1,673

-45.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.08 ₡486

-8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.58 ₡709

-44.30%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-20.15%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-37.19%

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

$291 $291

$93.7 ₡42.0K

211.16%

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

$51.2 $51.2

$35.42 ₡15.9K

44.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.2 $88.2

$60.0 ₡26.9K

47.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 $60.8

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-16.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 $9.97

$7.74 ₡3,471

28.81%

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

$706 $706

$1,005 ₡450.9K

-29.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.68 $37.68

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-48.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.8 $60.8

$128 ₡57.5K

-52.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$130 ₡58.5K

-9.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,118 $1,118

$932 ₡418.0K

19.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$949 $949

$760 ₡340.8K

24.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 $1,833

$1,922 ₡862.0K

-4.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,979 $1,979

$1,276 ₡572.1K

55.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,848 $1,848

$2,301 ₡1.0M

-19.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,603 $1,603

$1,833 ₡821.9K

-12.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,827 $3,827

$1,029 ₡461.3K

272.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.12

8.62

-29.00%

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

Last update for Amarillo, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amarillo, TX

$949 41.6%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 19.9% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amarillo, TX

$431 18.9%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 56.1% $242

Groceries & Markets

Amarillo, TX

$429 18.8%

San Jose

$403 21% 6% $26

Eating Out

Amarillo, TX

$291 12.8%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 21.4% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Amarillo, TX

$97 * 4.3%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 78.8% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Amarillo, TX

$81 3.5%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 9.1% $7.3

Getting Around

Amarillo, TX

$4 * 0.2%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 1937% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,118 in Amarillo, TX versus $932 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 run about 272% higher in Amarillo, TX, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Amarillo, TX versus $62.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $429 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Amarillo, TX

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:09 4:09 PM

15:09 3:09 PM

1 h behind Amarillo, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,645

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

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Highest

Between locations

Amarillo, TX San Jose 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Amarillo, TX
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

Amarillo, TX vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,282 in Amarillo, TX, $1,924 in San Jose – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,423 per month in Amarillo, TX and $2,886 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Amarillo, TX and $62.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Amarillo, TX, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Amarillo, TX at $2,282. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Amarillo, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,924 in San Jose to $2,282 in Amarillo, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Amarillo, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.