Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Apple Valley, MN and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,529 in Apple Valley, MN, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Apple Valley, MN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Apple Valley, MN
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Apple Valley, MN Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Apple Valley, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,529

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,529 per month in Apple Valley, MN vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Apple Valley, MN $2,529
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $3,697 per month in Apple Valley, MN vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Apple Valley, MN $3,697
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $4,864 per month in Apple Valley, MN vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Apple Valley, MN $4,864
San Jose $3,934

Apple Valley, MN costs about 31% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Apple Valley, MN and San Jose sit above the global median – Apple Valley, MN by 87%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.26 $20.26

$12.38 ₡5,551

63.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 $74.1

$60.9 ₡27.3K

21.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 $11.15

$11.45 ₡5,135

-2.62%

Cappuccino

$6.16 $6.16

$4.39 ₡1,967

40.32%

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

$2.76 $2.76

$2.70 ₡1,211

2.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.93 ₡864

21.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.10 $7.10

$3.20 ₡1,433

121.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$4.41 ₡1,979

84.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.44 ₡1,093

-62.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 $3.14

$3.05 ₡1,369

2.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.41 ₡1,081

54.36%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$3.40 ₡1,523

9.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.45 $10.45

$10.75 ₡4,823

-2.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 $12.21

$10.43 ₡4,679

17.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.87 $18.87

$13.99 ₡6,273

34.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$5.25 ₡2,353

8.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.59 ₡712

-5.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$4.69 ₡2,103

-3.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$3.95 ₡1,770

27.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$3.92 ₡1,760

-42.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$3.68 ₡1,651

2.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.12 ₡503

108.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.19 ₡1,429

-16.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.94 $10.94

$6.00 ₡2,692

82.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.90 $14.90

$19.56 ₡8,771

-23.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.82 ₡1,263

-37.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.59 ₡1,611

-18.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.12 ₡503

58.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.50 ₡1,119

100.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.63 ₡733

6.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.89 $23.89

$8.50 ₡3,812

181.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.56 ₡701

-33.33%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

59.84%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-27.00%

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

$165 $165

$95.2 ₡42.7K

73.06%

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

$49.02 $49.02

$35.58 ₡16.0K

37.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.4 $58.4

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-0.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.38 $42.38

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-41.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 $14.23

$7.58 ₡3,401

87.73%

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

$1,371 $1,371

$1,001 ₡449.0K

36.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.6K $36.6K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

113.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 $57.8

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-18.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.79 $44.79

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-19.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 $74.2

$130 ₡58.2K

-42.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.5 $83.5

$131 ₡58.7K

-36.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 $1,491

$927 ₡415.8K

60.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 $1,307

$774 ₡347.2K

68.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,476 $2,476

$1,967 ₡882.0K

25.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 $2,116

$1,288 ₡577.6K

64.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,920 $2,920

$2,274 ₡1.0M

28.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,246 $2,246

$1,831 ₡821.0K

22.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

8.62

-23.32%

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

Last update for Apple Valley, MN: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Apple Valley, MN

$1.3K 51.7%

San Jose

$774 40% 40.7% $532

Groceries & Markets

Apple Valley, MN

$400 15.8%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 0.2% $1

Eating Out

Apple Valley, MN

$342 13.5%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 32.9% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Apple Valley, MN

$272 10.8%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 30.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Apple Valley, MN

$117 4.6%

San Jose

$174 9% 48.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Apple Valley, MN

$71 2.8%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 24% $17

Getting Around

Apple Valley, MN

$21 * 0.8%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 293% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,491 in Apple Valley, MN versus $927 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Apple Valley, MN versus $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $400 in Apple Valley, MN vs $401 in San Jose – so Apple Valley, MN wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Apple Valley, MN

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

22:02 10:02 PM

1 h behind Apple Valley, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,109

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Apple Valley, MN San Jose 3,970 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Apple Valley, MN
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

Apple Valley, MN vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,529 in Apple Valley, MN, $1,938 in San Jose – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,794 per month in Apple Valley, MN and $2,907 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,529 in Apple Valley, MN and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 31%.

Kindergarten costs $1,371 per month in Apple Valley, MN and $1,001 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,938, than in Apple Valley, MN at $2,529. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Apple Valley, MN 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 $1,938 in San Jose to $2,529 in Apple Valley, MN. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Apple Valley, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.