Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens, TN and San Jose

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens, TN and in San Jose: $2,116 and $2,107 a month, rent and utilities included.

102

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

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Athens, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,116

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,116 per month in Athens, TN vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Athens, TN $2,116
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,286 per month in Athens, TN vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Athens, TN $3,286
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,457 per month in Athens, TN vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Athens, TN $4,457
San Jose $4,054

Athens, TN and San Jose have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.07 $30.07

$12.37 ₡5,563

143.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 $108

$62.4 ₡28.0K

73.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 $11.95

$11.71 ₡5,264

2.05%

Cappuccino

$5.70 $5.70

$4.54 ₡2,040

25.55%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$2.75 ₡1,238

6.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.86 ₡837

21.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.52 $6.52

$3.35 ₡1,505

94.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.90 $7.90

$4.32 ₡1,944

82.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.36 ₡1,061

-60.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.07 ₡1,379

-16.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.51 ₡1,128

56.57%

Eggs

$4.19 $4.19

$3.53 ₡1,585

18.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.83 $13.83

$10.54 ₡4,738

31.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.68 $6.68

$10.57 ₡4,754

-36.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.75 $19.75

$13.92 ₡6,261

41.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$5.20 ₡2,338

11.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.65 ₡740

-9.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.61 $5.61

$4.89 ₡2,198

14.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$3.84 ₡1,728

34.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.91 ₡1,757

-9.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$3.76 ₡1,692

-29.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.12 ₡504

91.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$3.22 ₡1,447

-48.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 $6.83

$6.02 ₡2,706

13.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.29 $15.29

$19.84 ₡8,919

-22.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.81 ₡1,264

38.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.65 ₡1,643

33.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.08 ₡487

102.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.5 $53.5

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-17.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.26 ₡1,018

50.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.78 ₡799

-14.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.47 $24.47

$7.90 ₡3,551

209.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.50 ₡673

-37.33%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

7.86%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.91%

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

$221 $221

$93.2 ₡41.9K

136.67%

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

$74.4 $74.4

$36.13 ₡16.2K

105.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 $55.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-8.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 $37.88

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-45.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$8.21 $8.21

$7.67 ₡3,449

7.04%

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

$1,784 $1,784

$972 ₡436.9K

83.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.8K $34.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

84.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-25.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.25 $45.25

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-20.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 $95.9

$129 ₡57.8K

-25.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$131 ₡58.8K

-17.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$861 $861

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-26.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$695 $695

$943 ₡424.1K

-26.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 $1,465

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-26.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 $1,184

$1,400 ₡629.5K

-15.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,813 $2,813

$2,681 ₡1.2M

4.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,313 $2,313

$2,037 ₡915.8K

13.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,189 $8,189

$987 ₡443.6K

730.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

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

Last update for Athens, TN: November 3, 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, TN

$695 32.9%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 35.7% $248

Eating Out

Athens, TN

$414 19.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 43.9% $182

Groceries & Markets

Athens, TN

$392 18.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 2.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens, TN

$351 16.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 45.8% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Athens, TN

$136 6.4%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 28.3% $38

Getting Around

Athens, TN

$73 3.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 10% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Athens, TN

$54 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 55.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $861 in Athens, TN 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, TN are about 8.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Athens, TN versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $392 in Athens, TN vs $403 in San Jose – so Athens, TN wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Athens, TN

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

11:44 11:44 AM

1 h behind Athens, TN

🌤 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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Highest

Between locations

Athens, TN San Jose 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,174 per month in Athens, TN 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 Athens, TN, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $861 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Athens, TN and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Athens, TN. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,116 in Athens, TN and $2,107 in San Jose, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,116 in Athens, TN. 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, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.