Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashland, WI and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,514 in Ashland, WI, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ashland, WI outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

121

Cost of Living Index in Ashland, WI
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Ashland, WI Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Ashland, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,514

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,514 per month in Ashland, WI vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Ashland, WI $2,514
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,751 per month in Ashland, WI vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Ashland, WI $3,751
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $4,988 per month in Ashland, WI vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Ashland, WI $4,988
San Jose $3,929

Ashland, WI costs about 31% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ashland, WI and San Jose sit above the global median – Ashland, WI by 86%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.40 $15.40

$12.29 ₡5,513

25.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 $67.8

$62.3 ₡27.9K

8.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 $9.99

$11.53 ₡5,171

-13.36%

Cappuccino

$5.21 $5.21

$4.35 ₡1,953

19.77%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$2.64 ₡1,183

14.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.86 ₡836

41.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.32 ₡1,490

78.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.67 $7.67

$4.52 ₡2,026

69.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$2.39 ₡1,073

-62.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.08 ₡1,381

28.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.50 ₡1,119

39.20%

Eggs

$3.07 $3.07

$3.48 ₡1,562

-11.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 $9.84

$10.74 ₡4,815

-8.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 $9.54

$10.32 ₡4,629

-7.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.52 $13.52

$14.10 ₡6,325

-4.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$5.03 ₡2,256

-3.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.59 ₡714

-30.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$4.84 ₡2,171

27.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$3.96 ₡1,776

26.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$3.76 ₡1,684

1.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.73 ₡1,674

-5.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.08 ₡485

83.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$3.25 ₡1,456

-45.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.99 $12.99

$5.86 ₡2,627

121.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.59 $14.59

$20.28 ₡9,095

-28.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.90 ₡1,300

-42.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.73 ₡1,673

-4.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.08 ₡486

62.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.50 ₡1,123

-0.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.63 ₡732

-7.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.58 $30.58

$8.71 ₡3,904

251.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.58 ₡709

-34.81%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-17.78%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-36.71%

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

$232 $232

$93.7 ₡42.0K

148.10%

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

$51.2 $51.2

$35.42 ₡15.9K

44.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.6 $64.6

$60.0 ₡26.9K

7.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.22 $41.22

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-43.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$12.94 $12.94

$7.74 ₡3,471

67.18%

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

$1,451 $1,451

$1,005 ₡450.9K

44.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.5K $27.5K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

62.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.18 $42.18

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-42.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.12 $40.12

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-27.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 $79.8

$128 ₡57.5K

-37.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$130 ₡58.5K

-14.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 $1,802

$932 ₡418.0K

93.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,310 $1,310

$760 ₡340.8K

72.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,314 $2,314

$1,922 ₡862.0K

20.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,404 $2,404

$1,276 ₡572.1K

88.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,475 $2,475

$2,301 ₡1.0M

7.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,127 $2,127

$1,833 ₡821.9K

16.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

8.62

-26.80%

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

Last update for Ashland, WI: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashland, WI

$1.3K 52.1%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 42% $550

Groceries & Markets

Ashland, WI

$365 14.5%

San Jose

$403 21% 10.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashland, WI

$348 13.9%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 45.7% $159

Eating Out

Ashland, WI

$283 11.3%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 19.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Ashland, WI

$123 4.9%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 41.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Ashland, WI

$67 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 31.2% $21

Getting Around

Ashland, WI

$17 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 370% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,802 in Ashland, WI versus $932 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 $68.0 in Ashland, WI versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $365 in Ashland, WI vs $403 in San Jose – so Ashland, WI wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ashland, WI

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

16:26 4:26 PM

1 h behind Ashland, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,684

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

Ashland, WI San Jose 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashland, WI
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

Ashland, WI vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashland, WI costs about 31% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,771 per month in Ashland, WI and $2,886 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Ashland, WI and $62.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Ashland, WI – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Ashland, WI at $2,514. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ashland, WI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $1,924 versus $2,514 in Ashland, WI. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Ashland, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.