Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amherst, NY and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,512 in Amherst, NY, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Amherst, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,512

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,512 per month in Amherst, NY vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Amherst, NY $2,512
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,853 per month in Amherst, NY vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Amherst, NY $3,853
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,195 per month in Amherst, NY vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Amherst, NY $5,195
San Jose $4,054

Amherst, NY costs about 19% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Amherst, NY and San Jose sit above the global median – Amherst, NY by 86%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.08 $18.08

$12.37 ₡5,563

46.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.0 $78.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

25.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$11.71 ₡5,264

3.93%

Cappuccino

$5.94 $5.94

$4.54 ₡2,040

30.84%

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

$2.75 $2.75

$2.75 ₡1,238

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.86 ₡837

10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 $6.93

$3.35 ₡1,505

106.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.58 $7.58

$4.32 ₡1,944

75.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$2.36 ₡1,061

-62.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 $3.32

$3.07 ₡1,379

8.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.51 ₡1,128

72.11%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$3.53 ₡1,585

12.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 $11.06

$10.54 ₡4,738

4.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 $9.98

$10.57 ₡4,754

-5.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.86 $15.86

$13.92 ₡6,261

13.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$5.20 ₡2,338

-5.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.65 ₡740

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$4.89 ₡2,198

-10.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$3.84 ₡1,728

36.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$3.91 ₡1,757

-30.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.76 ₡1,692

-21.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.12 ₡504

114.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.22 ₡1,447

-23.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.03 $15.03

$6.02 ₡2,706

149.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$19.84 ₡8,919

-24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.81 ₡1,264

-28.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$3.65 ₡1,643

12.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.08 ₡487

80.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 $54.1

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-17.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.26 ₡1,018

25.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.78 ₡799

15.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.01 $20.01

$7.90 ₡3,551

153.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.50 ₡673

-21.33%

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

$30.6K $30.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-8.54%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.04%

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

$234 $234

$93.2 ₡41.9K

150.99%

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

$51.7 $51.7

$36.13 ₡16.2K

43.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

9.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 $40.31

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-41.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.77 $19.77

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-20.73%

Cinema Ticket

$12.88 $12.88

$7.67 ₡3,449

67.93%

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

$1,263 $1,263

$972 ₡436.9K

30.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K $18.9K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

0.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-23.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.22 $44.22

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-21.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 $96.1

$129 ₡57.8K

-25.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$131 ₡58.8K

-12.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,547 $1,547

$1,170 ₡525.9K

32.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,174 $1,174

$943 ₡424.1K

24.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,716 $2,716

$1,984 ₡892.0K

36.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 $2,269

$1,400 ₡629.5K

62.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,775 $2,775

$2,681 ₡1.2M

3.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,351 $2,351

$2,037 ₡915.8K

15.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,179 $4,179

$987 ₡443.6K

323.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.52

8.62

-24.36%

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

Last update for Amherst, NY: 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, NY

$1.2K 46.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 19.6% $231

Groceries & Markets

Amherst, NY

$384 15.3%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 4.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amherst, NY

$352 14%

San Jose

$190 9% 46% $162

Eating Out

Amherst, NY

$322 12.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 27.7% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Amherst, NY

$139 5.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 25.3% $35

Getting Around

Amherst, NY

$75 3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 7.6% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Amherst, NY

$66 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 27.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,547 in Amherst, NY versus $1,170 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 in Amherst, NY are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Amherst, NY versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Amherst, NY vs $403 in San Jose – so Amherst, NY wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Amherst, NY

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

09:47 9:47 AM

08:47 8:47 AM

1 h behind Amherst, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,819

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 = 0.89 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, NY San Jose 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Amherst, NY costs about 19% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,767 per month in Amherst, NY and $3,161 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,547 in Amherst, NY.

Kindergarten costs $1,263 per month in Amherst, NY and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Amherst, NY – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Amherst, NY at $2,512. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Amherst, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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