Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, KY and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,653 in Arlington, KY, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, KY
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Arlington, KY Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Arlington, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,653

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,653 in Arlington, KY versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Arlington, KY $2,653
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,917 in Arlington, KY versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Arlington, KY $3,917
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,180 in Arlington, KY versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Arlington, KY $5,180
San Jose $3,929

Living in Arlington, KY is roughly 38% 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: Arlington, KY 96% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.42 $18.42

$12.29 ₡5,513

49.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 $84.1

$62.3 ₡27.9K

35.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.88 $11.88

$11.53 ₡5,171

3.04%

Cappuccino

$6.64 $6.64

$4.35 ₡1,953

52.64%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$2.64 ₡1,183

7.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.86 ₡836

28.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 $6.89

$3.32 ₡1,490

107.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.11 $8.11

$4.52 ₡2,026

79.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.39 ₡1,073

-67.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.96 $3.96

$3.08 ₡1,381

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.50 ₡1,119

62.00%

Eggs

$4.29 $4.29

$3.48 ₡1,562

23.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 $12.87

$10.74 ₡4,815

19.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.53 $14.53

$10.32 ₡4,629

40.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.27 $18.27

$14.10 ₡6,325

29.57%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$5.03 ₡2,256

15.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.59 ₡714

-3.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$4.84 ₡2,171

-13.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.96 ₡1,776

22.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$3.76 ₡1,684

-47.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$3.73 ₡1,674

-39.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.08 ₡485

120.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.25 ₡1,456

-54.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.37 $9.37

$5.86 ₡2,627

59.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.88 $15.88

$20.28 ₡9,095

-21.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.90 ₡1,300

-16.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 $4.67

$3.73 ₡1,673

25.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.08 ₡486

84.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.50 ₡1,123

95.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.63 ₡732

-7.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.90 $20.90

$8.71 ₡3,904

139.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.58 ₡709

-33.54%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

11.09%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-35.41%

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

$230 $230

$93.7 ₡42.0K

145.65%

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

$74.5 $74.5

$35.42 ₡15.9K

110.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.1 $75.1

$60.0 ₡26.9K

25.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.90 $40.90

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-43.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$15.19 $15.19

$7.74 ₡3,471

96.25%

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

$1,442 $1,442

$1,005 ₡450.9K

43.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.8K $30.8K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

82.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 $55.3

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-24.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.53 $43.53

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-21.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 $92.3

$128 ₡57.5K

-28.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$130 ₡58.5K

6.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 $1,617

$932 ₡418.0K

73.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,282 $1,282

$760 ₡340.8K

68.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 $2,513

$1,922 ₡862.0K

30.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 $2,161

$1,276 ₡572.1K

69.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,807 $2,807

$2,301 ₡1.0M

22.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 $2,068

$1,833 ₡821.9K

12.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,051 $6,051

$1,029 ₡461.3K

488.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

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

Last update for Arlington, KY: October 20, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlington, KY

$1.3K 48.3%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 40.7% $522

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, KY

$417 15.7%

San Jose

$403 21% 3.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, KY

$380 14.3%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 50.2% $191

Eating Out

Arlington, KY

$334 12.6%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 31.5% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, KY

$149 5.6%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 17.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, KY

$71 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 23.6% $17

Getting Around

Arlington, KY

$20 * 0.8%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 294% $60

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 $1,617 in Arlington, KY and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, KY pays 488% 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: $84.0 in Arlington, KY vs $62.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, KY

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

16:57 4:57 PM

1 h behind Arlington, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Arlington, KY San Jose 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, KY
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

Arlington, KY vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arlington, KY and San Jose differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($2,653 vs $1,924 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 488% higher in Arlington, KY, 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: $1,617 in Arlington, KY versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Arlington, KY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,653 per month in Arlington, KY versus $1,924 in San Jose – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,653 in Arlington, KY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Arlington, KY. 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Arlington, KY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.