Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ann Arbor, MI and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,835 in Ann Arbor, MI, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Ann Arbor, MI
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Ann Arbor, MI Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Ann Arbor, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,835

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,835 in Ann Arbor, MI versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Ann Arbor, MI $2,835
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,204 in Ann Arbor, MI versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Ann Arbor, MI $4,204
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,573 in Ann Arbor, MI versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Ann Arbor, MI $5,573
San Jose $4,054

Living in Ann Arbor, MI is roughly 35% 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: Ann Arbor, MI 110% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.53 $18.53

$12.37 ₡5,563

49.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 $60.4

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-3.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$11.71 ₡5,264

3.07%

Cappuccino

$5.01 $5.01

$4.54 ₡2,040

10.35%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$2.75 ₡1,238

9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.86 ₡837

12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.47 $6.47

$3.35 ₡1,505

93.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.92 $7.92

$4.32 ₡1,944

83.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.36 ₡1,061

-57.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 $3.92

$3.07 ₡1,379

27.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.51 ₡1,128

94.42%

Eggs

$3.77 $3.77

$3.53 ₡1,585

6.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.77 $19.77

$10.54 ₡4,738

87.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.04 $13.04

$10.57 ₡4,754

23.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 $14.43

$13.92 ₡6,261

3.66%

Apples (1kg)

$6.85 $6.85

$5.20 ₡2,338

31.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.65 ₡740

16.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$4.89 ₡2,198

-25.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.84 ₡1,728

18.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$3.91 ₡1,757

-38.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.76 ₡1,692

-21.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.12 ₡504

120.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$3.22 ₡1,447

-38.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.28 $10.28

$6.02 ₡2,706

70.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.28 $15.28

$19.84 ₡8,919

-22.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.81 ₡1,264

-26.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$3.65 ₡1,643

4.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.08 ₡487

39.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.78 $45.78

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-29.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.26 ₡1,018

36.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.78 ₡799

-15.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.76 $26.76

$7.90 ₡3,551

238.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.50 ₡673

-22.00%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-10.73%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.55%

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

$198 $198

$93.2 ₡41.9K

112.94%

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

$58.4 $58.4

$36.13 ₡16.2K

61.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.4 $73.4

$60.6 ₡27.2K

21.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.60 $49.60

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-28.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.59 $19.59

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-21.45%

Cinema Ticket

$12.90 $12.90

$7.67 ₡3,449

68.19%

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

$2,061 $2,061

$972 ₡436.9K

112.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K $19.6K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

3.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 $55.0

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-22.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.95 $43.95

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-22.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$129 ₡57.8K

-13.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$131 ₡58.8K

-20.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$1,170 ₡525.9K

85.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 $1,482

$943 ₡424.1K

57.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,034 $4,034

$1,984 ₡892.0K

103.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,658 $2,658

$1,400 ₡629.5K

89.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,556 $5,556

$2,681 ₡1.2M

107.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,592 $2,592

$2,037 ₡915.8K

27.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,874 $4,874

$987 ₡443.6K

394.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

8.62

-23.43%

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

Last update for Ann Arbor, MI: 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

Ann Arbor, MI

$1.5K 52.3%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 36.3% $539

Groceries & Markets

Ann Arbor, MI

$430 15.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 6.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ann Arbor, MI

$330 11.7%

San Jose

$190 9% 42.5% $140

Eating Out

Ann Arbor, MI

$313 11.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 25.8% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Ann Arbor, MI

$142 5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 23% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ann Arbor, MI

$75 2.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 11.8% $8.9

Getting Around

Ann Arbor, MI

$62 2.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 29.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,164 in Ann Arbor, MI and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ann Arbor, MI pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Ann Arbor, MI vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $430 vs $403, with San Jose cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ann Arbor, MI

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

08:18 8:18 AM

1 h behind Ann Arbor, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,851

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

Ann Arbor, MI San Jose 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ann Arbor, MI
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

Ann Arbor, MI vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,835 in Ann Arbor, MI and $2,107 in San Jose, so San Jose is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Ann Arbor, MI is about 4.9 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: $2,164 in Ann Arbor, MI versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ann Arbor, MI – a meal for two runs $60 versus $62 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,835 per month in Ann Arbor, MI versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,835 in Ann Arbor, MI, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Ann Arbor, MI. 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, Ann Arbor, MI on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.