Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Annapolis, MD and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,743 in Annapolis, MD, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

177

Cost of Living Index in Annapolis, MD
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Annapolis, MD Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Annapolis, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,743

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,743 in Annapolis, MD versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Annapolis, MD $3,743
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,195 in Annapolis, MD versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Annapolis, MD $5,195
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,646 in Annapolis, MD versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Annapolis, MD $6,646
San Jose $4,054

Living in Annapolis, MD is roughly 78% 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: Annapolis, MD 177% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.52 $30.52

$12.37 ₡5,563

146.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 $81.5

$62.4 ₡28.0K

30.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.05 $10.05

$11.71 ₡5,264

-14.18%

Cappuccino

$5.52 $5.52

$4.54 ₡2,040

21.59%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$2.75 ₡1,238

-4.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.86 ₡837

8.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 $7.17

$3.35 ₡1,505

114.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.63 $8.63

$4.32 ₡1,944

99.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.36 ₡1,061

-54.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.07 ₡1,379

-2.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.51 ₡1,128

125.90%

Eggs

$6.57 $6.57

$3.53 ₡1,585

86.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 $9.77

$10.54 ₡4,738

-7.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 $7.86

$10.57 ₡4,754

-25.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.15 $15.15

$13.92 ₡6,261

8.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.78 $5.78

$5.20 ₡2,338

11.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.65 ₡740

22.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$4.89 ₡2,198

-2.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.18 $7.18

$3.84 ₡1,728

86.98%

Potato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.91 ₡1,757

11.76%

Onion (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.76 ₡1,692

29.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.12 ₡504

139.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$3.22 ₡1,447

-49.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.85 $9.85

$6.02 ₡2,706

63.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.59 $14.59

$19.84 ₡8,919

-26.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.81 ₡1,264

-39.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.65 ₡1,643

0.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.08 ₡487

170.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 $102

$65.2 ₡29.3K

55.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.26 ₡1,018

30.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.78 ₡799

-14.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.34 $25.34

$7.90 ₡3,551

220.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.50 ₡673

-30.67%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-9.26%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.71%

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

$157 $157

$93.2 ₡41.9K

68.34%

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

$53.0 $53.0

$36.13 ₡16.2K

46.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$96.8 $96.8

$60.6 ₡27.2K

59.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.2 $88.2

$68.9 ₡31.0K

27.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$7.67 ₡3,449

55.41%

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

$1,690 $1,690

$972 ₡436.9K

73.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K $25.4K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

34.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.42 $43.42

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-38.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.07 $25.07

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-55.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 $93.1

$129 ₡57.8K

-27.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$131 ₡58.8K

-7.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 $1,669

$1,170 ₡525.9K

42.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 $2,264

$943 ₡424.1K

139.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,232 $3,232

$1,984 ₡892.0K

62.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,342 $3,342

$1,400 ₡629.5K

138.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,811 $4,811

$2,681 ₡1.2M

79.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,320 $3,320

$2,037 ₡915.8K

63.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,045 $5,045

$987 ₡443.6K

411.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.08

8.62

-29.47%

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

Last update for Annapolis, MD: 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

Annapolis, MD

$2.3K 60.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 58.3% $1.3K

Eating Out

Annapolis, MD

$412 11%

San Jose

$232 11% 43.6% $180

Groceries & Markets

Annapolis, MD

$398 10.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 1.2% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Annapolis, MD

$307 8.2%

San Jose

$190 9% 38.1% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Annapolis, MD

$127 3.4%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 37% $47

Getting Around

Annapolis, MD

$124 3.3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 34.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Annapolis, MD

$112 3%

San Jose

$84 4% 24.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,669 in Annapolis, MD and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Annapolis, MD pays about 5.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $82 in Annapolis, MD vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $398 vs $403, with Annapolis, MD cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Annapolis, MD

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

1 h behind Annapolis, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,408

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

Annapolis, MD San Jose 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Annapolis, MD
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

Annapolis, MD vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Annapolis, MD. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Annapolis, MD is about 5.1 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: $1,669 in Annapolis, MD versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 36% less than in Annapolis, MD. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $3,743 per month in Annapolis, MD versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 44% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,743 in Annapolis, MD, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Annapolis, MD. 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, Annapolis, MD on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.