Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens, OH and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens, OH: $1,701 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

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Athens, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$1,701

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,701 in Athens, OH versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Athens, OH $1,701
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,538 in Athens, OH versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Athens, OH $2,538
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,374 in Athens, OH versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Athens, OH $3,374
San Jose $4,054

Living in Athens, OH costs roughly 19% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens, OH 26% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.24 $15.24

$12.37 ₡5,563

23.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 $54.9

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-11.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 $8.78

$11.71 ₡5,264

-25.02%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$4.54 ₡2,040

9.03%

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

$2.28 $2.28

$2.75 ₡1,238

-17.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.86 ₡837

-22.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.35 ₡1,505

45.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.01 $7.01

$4.32 ₡1,944

62.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$2.36 ₡1,061

-68.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 $2.12

$3.07 ₡1,379

-30.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.51 ₡1,128

16.33%

Eggs

$4.25 $4.25

$3.53 ₡1,585

20.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 $12.71

$10.54 ₡4,738

20.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.59 $8.59

$10.57 ₡4,754

-18.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.93 $15.93

$13.92 ₡6,261

14.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$5.20 ₡2,338

-31.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.65 ₡740

-44.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$4.89 ₡2,198

-44.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.84 ₡1,728

-19.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$3.91 ₡1,757

-56.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$3.76 ₡1,692

-42.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.12 ₡504

54.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$3.22 ₡1,447

-41.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.11 $9.11

$6.02 ₡2,706

51.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.30 $15.30

$19.84 ₡8,919

-22.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.81 ₡1,264

-23.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.65 ₡1,643

-19.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.08 ₡487

-6.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.26 ₡1,018

63.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.78 ₡799

-29.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.10 $25.10

$7.90 ₡3,551

217.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.50 ₡673

-40.67%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

8.68%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.03%

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

$152 $152

$93.2 ₡41.9K

62.99%

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

$29.66 $29.66

$36.13 ₡16.2K

-17.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.66 $48.66

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-19.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$11.84 $11.84

$7.67 ₡3,449

54.37%

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

$1,298 $1,298

$972 ₡436.9K

33.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K $25.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

36.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.01 $46.01

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-34.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.86 $43.86

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-22.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.3 $64.3

$129 ₡57.8K

-50.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$131 ₡58.8K

-17.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,320 $1,320

$1,170 ₡525.9K

12.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 $732

$943 ₡424.1K

-22.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 $1,473

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-25.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 $1,242

$1,400 ₡629.5K

-11.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,636 $1,636

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-38.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,660 $1,660

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-18.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,356 $3,356

$987 ₡443.6K

240.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

8.62

-20.65%

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

Last update for Athens, OH: 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, OH

$732 43.1%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 28.8% $211

Groceries & Markets

Athens, OH

$322 18.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 25.1% $81

Eating Out

Athens, OH

$261 15.3%

San Jose

$232 11% 10.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens, OH

$230 13.5%

San Jose

$190 9% 17.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Athens, OH

$118 6.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 47.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Athens, OH

$24 * 1.4%

San Jose

$84 4% 256% $61

Getting Around

Athens, OH

$14 * 0.8%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 476% $67

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 $1,320 in Athens, OH and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens, OH pays about 3.4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55 in Athens, OH vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $403 per month, with Athens, OH cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Athens, OH

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

1 h behind Athens, OH

🌤 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, OH San Jose 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Athens, OH is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Athens, OH is about 3.4 times higher, 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: $1,320 in Athens, OH versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,701 per month in Athens, OH versus $2,107 in San Jose – Athens, OH is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Athens, OH gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.