Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankeny, IA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Ankeny, IA
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Ankeny, IA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Ankeny, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,326

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,326 in Ankeny, IA versus $1,949 in San Jose.

Ankeny, IA $2,326
San Jose $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,298 in Ankeny, IA versus $2,903 in San Jose.

Ankeny, IA $3,298
San Jose $2,903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,270 in Ankeny, IA versus $3,857 in San Jose.

Ankeny, IA $4,270
San Jose $3,857

Living in Ankeny, IA is roughly 19% 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: Ankeny, IA 74% above, San Jose 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$12.22 ₡5,510

60.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$60.1 ₡27.1K

31.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$11.77 ₡5,305

0.25%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$4.30 ₡1,939

26.98%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$2.72 ₡1,226

9.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.84 ₡830

-5.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.28 ₡1,480

54.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 $5.79

$4.36 ₡1,966

32.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.38 ₡1,074

-61.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.12 ₡1,408

-6.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.41 ₡1,086

35.68%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$3.47 ₡1,564

14.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 $9.65

$10.57 ₡4,767

-8.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$10.56 ₡4,758

-18.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.96 $14.96

$13.75 ₡6,196

8.80%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$5.04 ₡2,274

3.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.61 ₡727

-5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$4.59 ₡2,069

6.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$3.84 ₡1,731

-4.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.77 ₡1,700

-41.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.76 ₡1,693

-11.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.12 ₡506

67.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.20 ₡1,441

-17.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.80 $8.80

$5.84 ₡2,632

50.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$19.73 ₡8,897

-25.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.75 ₡1,240

-38.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.66 ₡1,650

-32.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.46 ₡1,110

-16.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.54 ₡692

-17.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.71 $19.71

$8.46 ₡3,815

132.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.55 ₡699

-36.13%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

64.38%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-27.21%

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

$159 $159

$94.7 ₡42.7K

68.32%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$35.11 ₡15.8K

51.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$58.6 ₡26.4K

9.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.0 $74.0

$72.2 ₡32.5K

2.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$14.95 $14.95

$7.83 ₡3,532

90.93%

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

$1,101 $1,101

$971 ₡437.9K

13.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-29.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.27 $48.27

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-32.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 $34.89

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-36.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$129 ₡58.2K

-30.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$133 ₡60.0K

-12.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 $1,109

$934 ₡420.9K

18.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$770 ₡347.2K

48.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,971 $1,971

$1,945 ₡876.7K

1.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 $1,599

$1,316 ₡593.5K

21.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,289 $5,289

$1,006 ₡453.5K

425.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

8.62

-26.10%

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

Last update for Ankeny, IA: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankeny, IA

$1.1K 49%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 32.5% $371

Groceries & Markets

Ankeny, IA

$353 15.2%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 13% $46

Eating Out

Ankeny, IA

$314 13.5%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 27.3% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankeny, IA

$277 11.9%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 31.9% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Ankeny, IA

$130 5.6%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 34% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Ankeny, IA

$104 4.5%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 15.5% $16

Getting Around

Ankeny, IA

$8.4 * 0.4%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 848% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,109 in Ankeny, IA and $934 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ankeny, IA pays 426% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Ankeny, IA vs $60.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $353 vs $399, with Ankeny, IA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ankeny, IA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

08:45 8:45 AM

1 h behind Ankeny, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,887

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

Ankeny, IA San Jose 3,660 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankeny, IA
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

Ankeny, IA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankeny, IA and San Jose differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($2,326 vs $1,949 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 426% higher in Ankeny, IA, 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: $1,109 in Ankeny, IA versus $934 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Ankeny, IA pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,326 per month in Ankeny, IA versus $1,949 in San Jose – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,949 in San Jose versus $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Ankeny, IA. 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.

Safety-wise, Ankeny, IA and San Jose are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Ankeny, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.