Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atlanta, GA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,968 in Atlanta, GA, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Atlanta, GA
Learn more

Atlanta, GA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Atlanta, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,968

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,968 per month in Atlanta, GA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Atlanta, GA $2,968
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,287 per month in Atlanta, GA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Atlanta, GA $4,287
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,606 per month in Atlanta, GA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Atlanta, GA $5,606
San Jose $4,054

Atlanta, GA costs about 41% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Atlanta, GA and San Jose sit above the global median – Atlanta, GA by 120%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.06 $30.06

$12.37 ₡5,572

143.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 $109

$62.4 ₡28.1K

75.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$11.71 ₡5,272

1.11%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$4.54 ₡2,043

24.67%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$2.75 ₡1,239

9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.86 ₡839

18.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 $6.69

$3.35 ₡1,508

99.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.08 $8.08

$4.32 ₡1,947

87.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.36 ₡1,062

-60.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.07 ₡1,381

14.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.51 ₡1,129

60.96%

Eggs

$4.35 $4.35

$3.53 ₡1,588

23.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.85 $13.85

$10.54 ₡4,746

31.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.28 $14.28

$10.57 ₡4,761

35.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.19 $20.19

$13.92 ₡6,270

45.04%

Apples (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$5.20 ₡2,341

13.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.65 ₡742

-7.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$4.89 ₡2,201

16.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$3.84 ₡1,730

36.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.91 ₡1,760

-12.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$3.76 ₡1,694

-31.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.12 ₡505

93.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$3.22 ₡1,449

-25.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.72 $8.72

$6.02 ₡2,711

44.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$19.84 ₡8,932

-24.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.81 ₡1,266

38.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.65 ₡1,646

30.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.08 ₡488

134.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.6 $93.6

$65.2 ₡29.4K

43.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.26 ₡1,019

53.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.78 ₡800

-14.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.92 $23.92

$7.90 ₡3,557

202.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.50 ₡674

-31.33%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

11.44%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.75%

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

$216 $216

$93.2 ₡42.0K

132.15%

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

$72.6 $72.6

$36.13 ₡16.3K

100.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.8 $81.8

$60.6 ₡27.3K

34.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.27 $32.27

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-53.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.77 $17.77

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-28.75%

Cinema Ticket

$17.21 $17.21

$7.67 ₡3,454

124.38%

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

$1,778 $1,778

$972 ₡437.6K

82.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.7K $34.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

83.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 $52.4

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-25.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.87 $44.87

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-20.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.6 $96.6

$129 ₡57.9K

-24.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$131 ₡58.9K

-19.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,918 $1,918

$1,170 ₡526.7K

63.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,415 $1,415

$943 ₡424.7K

50.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,209 $3,209

$1,984 ₡893.3K

61.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,049 $2,049

$1,400 ₡630.5K

46.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,591 $3,591

$2,681 ₡1.2M

33.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,455 $2,455

$2,037 ₡917.1K

20.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,246 $5,246

$987 ₡444.3K

431.66%

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 Atlanta, 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

Atlanta, GA

$1.4K 47.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 33.4% $472

Groceries & Markets

Atlanta, GA

$451 15.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 10.8% $49

Eating Out

Atlanta, GA

$414 14%

San Jose

$232 11% 43.9% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atlanta, GA

$371 12.5%

San Jose

$190 9% 48.8% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Atlanta, GA

$135 4.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 29.3% $39

Getting Around

Atlanta, GA

$115 3.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 29.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Atlanta, GA

$67 2.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 26.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,918 in Atlanta, 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 Atlanta, GA are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in Atlanta, GA versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $451 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Atlanta, GA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:09 4:09 PM

15:09 3:09 PM

1 h behind Atlanta, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

510,823

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Atlanta, GA San Jose 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Atlanta, 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

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

Yes – Atlanta, GA is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,452 per month in Atlanta, 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 $1,918 in Atlanta, GA.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Atlanta, GA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in Atlanta, GA and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Atlanta, GA at $2,968. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Atlanta, GA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $2,107 versus $2,968 in Atlanta, GA. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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