Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, TX and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,439 in Arlington, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, TX
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Arlington, TX Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Arlington, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,439

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,439 in Arlington, TX versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Arlington, TX $2,439
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,647 in Arlington, TX versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Arlington, TX $3,647
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,855 in Arlington, TX versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Arlington, TX $4,855
San Jose $3,934

Living in Arlington, TX is roughly 26% 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, TX 81% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.39 $20.39

$12.38 ₡5,551

64.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 $55.3

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-9.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$11.45 ₡5,135

-11.70%

Cappuccino

$4.86 $4.86

$4.39 ₡1,967

10.71%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$2.70 ₡1,211

-5.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.93 ₡864

18.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.38 $5.38

$3.20 ₡1,433

68.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 $6.68

$4.41 ₡1,979

51.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$2.44 ₡1,093

-68.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.05 ₡1,369

19.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$2.41 ₡1,081

118.26%

Eggs

$2.67 $2.67

$3.40 ₡1,523

-21.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.60 $10.60

$10.75 ₡4,823

-1.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$10.43 ₡4,679

25.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.02 $18.02

$13.99 ₡6,273

28.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$5.25 ₡2,353

-15.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.59 ₡712

67.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.12 $5.12

$4.69 ₡2,103

9.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.95 ₡1,770

1.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.92 ₡1,760

-35.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.68 ₡1,651

-19.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.12 ₡503

69.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.19 ₡1,429

-35.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.52 $9.52

$6.00 ₡2,692

58.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.03 $12.03

$19.56 ₡8,771

-38.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.82 ₡1,263

-28.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.59 ₡1,611

-6.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.09 $6.09

$1.12 ₡503

443.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-39.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.50 ₡1,119

17.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.63 ₡733

4.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.81 $23.81

$8.50 ₡3,812

180.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.56 ₡701

-39.74%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

59.74%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-27.72%

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

$211 $211

$95.2 ₡42.7K

121.54%

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

$66.4 $66.4

$35.58 ₡16.0K

86.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.1 $64.1

$58.6 ₡26.3K

9.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.87 $40.87

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-43.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$7.58 ₡3,401

94.46%

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

$1,332 $1,332

$1,001 ₡449.0K

33.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K $28.4K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

65.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.6 $61.6

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-12.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-8.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 $84.9

$130 ₡58.2K

-34.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$131 ₡58.7K

-22.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 $1,536

$927 ₡415.8K

65.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 $1,112

$774 ₡347.2K

43.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$1,967 ₡882.0K

28.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,031 $2,031

$1,288 ₡577.6K

57.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,173 $2,173

$2,274 ₡1.0M

-4.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,217 $2,217

$1,831 ₡821.0K

21.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,699 $3,699

$1,016 ₡455.8K

263.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Arlington, TX: 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

Arlington, TX

$1.1K 45.6%

San Jose

$774 40% 30.4% $338

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, TX

$393 16.1%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 2.1% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, TX

$341 14%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 44.5% $152

Eating Out

Arlington, TX

$311 12.8%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 26.3% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, TX

$135 5.5%

San Jose

$174 9% 29.4% $40

Getting Around

Arlington, TX

$76 3.1%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 7.4% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, TX

$70 2.9%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 24.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,536 in Arlington, TX and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, TX pays 264% 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: $55.0 in Arlington, TX vs $61.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $401 per month, with Arlington, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, TX

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

08:59 8:59 AM

1 h behind Arlington, TX

🌤 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arlington, TX San Jose 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Arlington, TX. 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 runs 264% higher in Arlington, TX, 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: $1,536 in Arlington, TX versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,439 per month in Arlington, TX versus $1,938 in San Jose – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 65% less than in Arlington, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,439 in Arlington, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Arlington, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Jose delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,938 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Jose hard to pass up.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Arlington, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.