Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens, GA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,276 in Athens, GA, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens, GA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

109

Cost of Living Index in Athens, GA
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Athens, GA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Athens, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,276

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,276 per month in Athens, GA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Athens, GA $2,276
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,175 per month in Athens, GA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Athens, GA $3,175
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,074 per month in Athens, GA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Athens, GA $4,074
San Jose $4,054

Athens, GA costs about 8% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Athens, GA and San Jose sit above the global median – Athens, GA by 68%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.35 $14.35

$12.37 ₡5,563

16.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.1 $57.1

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-8.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.33 $10.33

$11.71 ₡5,264

-11.78%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$4.54 ₡2,040

28.41%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$2.75 ₡1,238

4.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.86 ₡837

17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.44 $7.44

$3.35 ₡1,505

122.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$4.32 ₡1,944

82.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$2.36 ₡1,061

-65.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 $2.61

$3.07 ₡1,379

-14.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$2.51 ₡1,128

125.50%

Eggs

$3.11 $3.11

$3.53 ₡1,585

-11.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 $10.99

$10.54 ₡4,738

4.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.69 $10.69

$10.57 ₡4,754

1.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.35 $15.35

$13.92 ₡6,261

10.27%

Apples (1kg)

$5.73 $5.73

$5.20 ₡2,338

10.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.65 ₡740

-15.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.33 $6.33

$4.89 ₡2,198

29.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$3.84 ₡1,728

5.21%

Potato (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.91 ₡1,757

3.84%

Onion (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$3.76 ₡1,692

10.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.12 ₡504

137.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.22 ₡1,447

-36.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.96 $8.96

$6.02 ₡2,706

48.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.79 $10.79

$19.84 ₡8,919

-45.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.81 ₡1,264

-39.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.65 ₡1,643

62.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.26 ₡1,018

94.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.78 ₡799

-13.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.06 $24.06

$7.90 ₡3,551

204.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.50 ₡673

-32.67%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-17.90%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.04%

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

$291 $291

$93.2 ₡41.9K

211.95%

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

$40.82 $40.82

$36.13 ₡16.2K

12.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.4 $81.4

$60.6 ₡27.2K

34.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.93 $23.93

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-65.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.16 $8.16

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-67.28%

Cinema Ticket

$12.95 $12.95

$7.67 ₡3,449

68.84%

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

$864 $864

$972 ₡436.9K

-11.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K $17.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-8.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 $54.8

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-22.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.64 $32.64

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-42.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.9 $65.9

$129 ₡57.8K

-48.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.9 $55.9

$131 ₡58.8K

-57.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 $1,343

$1,170 ₡525.9K

14.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 $1,037

$943 ₡424.1K

9.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,844 $2,844

$1,984 ₡892.0K

43.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 $1,544

$1,400 ₡629.5K

10.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,835 $3,835

$2,681 ₡1.2M

43.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,244 $2,244

$2,037 ₡915.8K

10.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,579 $3,579

$987 ₡443.6K

262.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

8.62

-23.90%

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

Last update for Athens, GA: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens, GA

$1K 45.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens, GA

$413 18.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 54% $223

Groceries & Markets

Athens, GA

$382 16.8%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 5.4% $21

Eating Out

Athens, GA

$289 12.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 19.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Athens, GA

$94 4.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 84.9% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Athens, GA

$50 2.2%

San Jose

$84 4% 69.1% $34

Getting Around

Athens, GA

$12 * 0.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 568% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,343 in Athens, GA versus $1,170 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.

Salaries in Athens, GA are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Athens, GA versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $403 – making Athens, GA the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Athens, GA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

10:41 10:41 AM

1 h behind Athens, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,452

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

Athens, GA San Jose 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens, GA
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

Athens, GA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Athens, GA is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,415 per month in Athens, GA and $3,161 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,343 in Athens, GA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Athens, GA and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Athens, GA – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,276 in Athens, GA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Athens, GA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.