Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amherst, MA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,774 in Amherst, MA, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, MA
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Amherst, MA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Amherst, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,774

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,774 in Amherst, MA versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Amherst, MA $2,774
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,272 in Amherst, MA versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Amherst, MA $4,272
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,770 in Amherst, MA versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Amherst, MA $5,770
San Jose $4,054

Living in Amherst, MA is roughly 32% 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: Amherst, MA 105% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.29 $20.29

$12.37 ₡5,563

64.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 $69.2

$62.4 ₡28.0K

10.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 $9.04

$11.71 ₡5,264

-22.80%

Cappuccino

$4.79 $4.79

$4.54 ₡2,040

5.51%

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

$2.58 $2.58

$2.75 ₡1,238

-6.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.86 ₡837

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.35 ₡1,505

82.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.51 $8.51

$4.32 ₡1,944

96.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$2.36 ₡1,061

-55.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.07 ₡1,379

6.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.91 $6.91

$2.51 ₡1,128

175.30%

Eggs

$4.57 $4.57

$3.53 ₡1,585

29.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.51 $16.51

$10.54 ₡4,738

56.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.09 $16.09

$10.57 ₡4,754

52.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.56 $18.56

$13.92 ₡6,261

33.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$5.20 ₡2,338

-6.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.65 ₡740

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$4.89 ₡2,198

-33.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$3.84 ₡1,728

19.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.91 ₡1,757

-16.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.76 ₡1,692

-4.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.12 ₡504

103.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$3.22 ₡1,447

-36.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.52 $10.52

$6.02 ₡2,706

74.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.96 $11.96

$19.84 ₡8,919

-39.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.81 ₡1,264

-29.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 $3.83

$3.65 ₡1,643

4.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.08 ₡487

18.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.45 $27.45

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-57.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.26 ₡1,018

56.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.78 ₡799

-20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$7.90 ₡3,551

276.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.50 ₡673

-34.00%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-15.72%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.79%

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

$213 $213

$93.2 ₡41.9K

128.61%

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

$57.5 $57.5

$36.13 ₡16.2K

59.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.4 $89.4

$60.6 ₡27.2K

47.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$119 $119

$68.9 ₡31.0K

72.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.88 $6.88

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-72.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 $10.56

$7.67 ₡3,449

37.68%

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

$1,496 $1,496

$972 ₡436.9K

53.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K $16.9K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-10.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.03 $45.03

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-36.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.00 $39.00

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-31.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 $89.4

$129 ₡57.8K

-30.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$131 ₡58.8K

-16.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 $1,860

$1,170 ₡525.9K

59.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 $1,356

$943 ₡424.1K

43.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,914 $3,914

$1,984 ₡892.0K

97.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,708 $2,708

$1,400 ₡629.5K

93.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,091 $4,091

$2,681 ₡1.2M

52.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,999 $3,999

$2,037 ₡915.8K

96.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,739 $4,739

$987 ₡443.6K

380.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

8.62

-29.23%

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

Last update for Amherst, MA: 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

Amherst, MA

$1.4K 48.9%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 30.4% $413

Groceries & Markets

Amherst, MA

$436 15.7%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 7.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amherst, MA

$360 13%

San Jose

$190 9% 47.2% $170

Eating Out

Amherst, MA

$313 11.3%

San Jose

$232 11% 25.7% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Amherst, MA

$140 5.1%

San Jose

$84 4% 39.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Amherst, MA

$127 4.6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 37% $47

Getting Around

Amherst, MA

$43 1.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 86.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,860 in Amherst, MA and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amherst, MA pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Amherst, MA vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $436 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Amherst, MA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

00:30 12:30 AM

1 h behind Amherst, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,819

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 = 0.891 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

Amherst, MA San Jose 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Amherst, MA
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

Amherst, MA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Amherst, MA is about 4.8 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: $1,860 in Amherst, MA versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,496 in Amherst, MA versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,774 in Amherst, MA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Amherst, MA. 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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Amherst, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.