Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Anaheim, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $3,745 in Anaheim, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

182

Cost of Living Index in Anaheim, CA
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Anaheim, CA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Anaheim, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,745

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,745 per month in Anaheim, CA vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Anaheim, CA $3,745
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $5,219 per month in Anaheim, CA vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Anaheim, CA $5,219
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $6,692 per month in Anaheim, CA vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Anaheim, CA $6,692
San Jose $3,929

Anaheim, CA costs about 95% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Anaheim, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Anaheim, CA by 176%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$12.29 ₡5,513

103.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.6 $77.6

$62.3 ₡27.9K

24.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.69 $16.69

$11.53 ₡5,171

44.75%

Cappuccino

$5.82 $5.82

$4.35 ₡1,953

33.79%

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

$3.01 $3.01

$2.64 ₡1,183

14.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.86 ₡836

24.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.23 $7.23

$3.32 ₡1,490

117.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.38 $9.38

$4.52 ₡2,026

107.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$2.39 ₡1,073

-49.79%

White Bread (500g)

$5.01 $5.01

$3.08 ₡1,381

62.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.50 ₡1,119

92.80%

Eggs

$5.77 $5.77

$3.48 ₡1,562

65.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.13 $15.13

$10.74 ₡4,815

40.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.65 $18.65

$10.32 ₡4,629

80.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.32 $15.32

$14.10 ₡6,325

8.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$5.03 ₡2,256

-4.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.59 ₡714

59.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$4.84 ₡2,171

-18.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$3.96 ₡1,776

42.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$3.76 ₡1,684

-3.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.73 ₡1,674

-40.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.08 ₡485

93.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$3.25 ₡1,456

-41.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.87 $11.87

$5.86 ₡2,627

102.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.22 $15.22

$20.28 ₡9,095

-24.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.90 ₡1,300

-31.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.73 ₡1,673

9.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.7 $68.7

$65.5 ₡29.4K

4.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.40 $6.40

$2.50 ₡1,123

156.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.58 ₡709

-4.43%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-14.81%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-35.15%

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

$165 $165

$93.7 ₡42.0K

76.15%

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

$66.1 $66.1

$35.42 ₡15.9K

86.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.7 $72.7

$60.0 ₡26.9K

21.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.9 $78.9

$72.6 ₡32.6K

8.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.92 $9.92

$25.83 ₡11.6K

-61.60%

Cinema Ticket

$18.32 $18.32

$7.74 ₡3,471

136.69%

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

$1,193 $1,193

$1,005 ₡450.9K

18.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 $57.6

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-21.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.32 $40.32

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-27.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$128 ₡57.5K

-16.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 $147

$130 ₡58.5K

12.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 $2,242

$932 ₡418.0K

140.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,229 $2,229

$760 ₡340.8K

193.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,504 $3,504

$1,922 ₡862.0K

82.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,314 $3,314

$1,276 ₡572.1K

159.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,815 $7,815

$2,301 ₡1.0M

239.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,728 $6,728

$1,833 ₡821.9K

267.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,008 $4,008

$1,029 ₡461.3K

289.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

8.62

-25.87%

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

Last update for Anaheim, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Anaheim, CA

$2.2K 59.5%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 65.9% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Anaheim, CA

$468 12.5%

San Jose

$403 21% 13.8% $64

Eating Out

Anaheim, CA

$396 10.6%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 42.3% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Anaheim, CA

$304 8.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 37.8% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Anaheim, CA

$158 4.2%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 10.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Anaheim, CA

$116 3.1%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 23.8% $27

Getting Around

Anaheim, CA

$75 * 2%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 7.2% $5.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,242 in Anaheim, CA 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 290% higher in Anaheim, CA, 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 $78.0 in Anaheim, CA versus $62.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $468 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Anaheim, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

1 h ahead of Anaheim, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

350,742

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 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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Between locations

Anaheim, CA San Jose 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Anaheim, 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

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

Anaheim, CA costs about 95% 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 $5,618 per month in Anaheim, CA 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.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Anaheim, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Anaheim, CA and $62.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Anaheim, CA at $3,745. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Anaheim, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $1,924 versus $3,745 in Anaheim, CA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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