Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Andover, MA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,787 in Andover, MA, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Andover, MA
Learn more

Andover, MA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Andover, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,787

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,787 per month in Andover, MA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Andover, MA $2,787
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,130 per month in Andover, MA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Andover, MA $4,130
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,473 per month in Andover, MA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Andover, MA $5,473
San Jose $4,054

Andover, MA costs about 32% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Andover, MA and San Jose sit above the global median – Andover, MA by 106%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.86 $20.86

$12.37 ₡5,563

68.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.8 $90.8

$62.4 ₡28.0K

45.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.91 $11.91

$11.71 ₡5,264

1.71%

Cappuccino

$4.35 $4.35

$4.54 ₡2,040

-4.19%

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

$3.29 $3.29

$2.75 ₡1,238

19.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.86 ₡837

-20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 $6.79

$3.35 ₡1,505

102.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.30 $7.30

$4.32 ₡1,944

68.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.36 ₡1,061

-35.17%

White Bread (500g)

$4.91 $4.91

$3.07 ₡1,379

59.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.51 ₡1,128

65.74%

Eggs

$5.04 $5.04

$3.53 ₡1,585

42.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.79 $22.79

$10.54 ₡4,738

116.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$10.57 ₡4,754

23.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.20 $17.20

$13.92 ₡6,261

23.56%

Apples (1kg)

$7.15 $7.15

$5.20 ₡2,338

37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.65 ₡740

27.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$4.89 ₡2,198

-7.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$3.84 ₡1,728

14.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$3.91 ₡1,757

-59.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.76 ₡1,692

-27.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.12 ₡504

-0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.22 ₡1,447

-5.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.76 $13.76

$6.02 ₡2,706

128.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.06 $16.06

$19.84 ₡8,919

-19.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.81 ₡1,264

-37.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.65 ₡1,643

-43.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.08 ₡487

70.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 $64.4

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-1.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.26 ₡1,018

126.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.78 ₡799

29.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.65 $48.65

$7.90 ₡3,551

515.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.50 ₡673

-23.33%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-15.66%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.99%

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

$190 $190

$93.2 ₡41.9K

104.16%

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

$54.1 $54.1

$36.13 ₡16.2K

49.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 $53.6

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-11.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.72 $41.72

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-39.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.20 $13.20

$7.67 ₡3,449

72.10%

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

$818 $818

$972 ₡436.9K

-15.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.1K $35.1K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

86.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 $58.8

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-16.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 $38.10

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-32.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.0 $53.0

$129 ₡57.8K

-58.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 $79.6

$131 ₡58.8K

-39.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 $1,586

$1,170 ₡525.9K

35.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,436 $1,436

$943 ₡424.1K

52.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 $2,547

$1,984 ₡892.0K

28.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,384 $2,384

$1,400 ₡629.5K

70.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,989 $2,989

$2,681 ₡1.2M

11.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,534 $2,534

$2,037 ₡915.8K

24.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,661 $5,661

$987 ₡443.6K

473.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.62

-23.55%

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

Last update for Andover, MA: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Andover, MA

$1.4K 51.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 34.3% $493

Groceries & Markets

Andover, MA

$471 16.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 14.5% $68

Eating Out

Andover, MA

$322 11.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 27.9% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Andover, MA

$298 10.7%

San Jose

$190 9% 36.3% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Andover, MA

$103 3.7%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 68.5% $71

Getting Around

Andover, MA

$88 3.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 8.6% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Andover, MA

$68 2.4%

San Jose

$84 4% 23.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,586 in Andover, MA 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 Andover, MA are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Andover, MA versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $471 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Andover, MA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:43 4:43 AM

03:43 3:43 AM

1 h behind Andover, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,475

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Andover, MA San Jose 3,850 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Andover, 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

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

Yes – Andover, MA is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,180 per month in Andover, MA 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 $1,586 in Andover, MA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Andover, MA and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Andover, MA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Andover, MA at $2,787. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Andover, MA 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 $2,107 in San Jose to $2,787 in Andover, MA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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