Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Auburn, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $3,212 in Auburn, CA, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Auburn, CA
Learn more

Auburn, CA Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Auburn, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,212

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,212 per month in Auburn, CA vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Auburn, CA $3,212
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $4,620 per month in Auburn, CA vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Auburn, CA $4,620
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $6,027 per month in Auburn, CA vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Auburn, CA $6,027
San Jose $3,934

Auburn, CA costs about 66% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Auburn, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Auburn, CA by 138%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.25 $25.25

$12.38 ₡5,551

103.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 $90.7

$60.9 ₡27.3K

49.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 $11.92

$11.45 ₡5,135

4.10%

Cappuccino

$4.91 $4.91

$4.39 ₡1,967

11.85%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$2.70 ₡1,211

-5.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.93 ₡864

22.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.20 ₡1,433

51.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 $7.11

$4.41 ₡1,979

61.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$2.44 ₡1,093

-49.59%

White Bread (500g)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.05 ₡1,369

48.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.21 $8.21

$2.41 ₡1,081

240.66%

Eggs

$3.17 $3.17

$3.40 ₡1,523

-6.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.79 $25.79

$10.75 ₡4,823

139.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.58 $18.58

$10.43 ₡4,679

78.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.00 $23.00

$13.99 ₡6,273

64.40%

Apples (1kg)

$7.72 $7.72

$5.25 ₡2,353

47.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.59 ₡712

6.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.51 $8.51

$4.69 ₡2,103

81.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.78 $6.78

$3.95 ₡1,770

71.65%

Potato (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.92 ₡1,760

30.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.68 ₡1,651

-16.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.12 ₡503

80.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$3.19 ₡1,429

-28.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.66 $11.66

$6.00 ₡2,692

94.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$19.56 ₡8,771

-22.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.82 ₡1,263

-48.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.59 ₡1,611

-43.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.12 ₡503

203.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.2 $88.2

$66.8 ₡30.0K

32.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.50 ₡1,119

30.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.63 ₡733

49.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.49 $40.49

$8.50 ₡3,812

376.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.56 ₡701

-21.79%

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

$32.8K $32.8K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

46.51%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-31.15%

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

$189 $189

$95.2 ₡42.7K

98.42%

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

$49.79 $49.79

$35.58 ₡16.0K

39.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.7 $66.7

$58.6 ₡26.3K

13.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.4 $64.4

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-11.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$15.10 $15.10

$7.58 ₡3,401

99.21%

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

$2,686 $2,686

$1,001 ₡449.0K

168.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,939 $5,939

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-65.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 $68.7

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-2.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.74 $46.74

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-16.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$130 ₡58.2K

-14.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$199 $199

$131 ₡58.7K

51.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,823 $1,823

$927 ₡415.8K

96.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 $1,591

$774 ₡347.2K

105.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,784 $2,784

$1,967 ₡882.0K

41.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,344 $2,344

$1,288 ₡577.6K

81.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,277 $3,277

$2,274 ₡1.0M

44.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,675 $2,675

$1,831 ₡821.0K

46.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,926 $3,926

$1,016 ₡455.8K

286.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

8.62

-21.46%

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

Last update for Auburn, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Auburn, CA

$1.6K 49.5%

San Jose

$774 40% 51.3% $817

Groceries & Markets

Auburn, CA

$558 17.4%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 28.1% $157

Eating Out

Auburn, CA

$355 11%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 35.4% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Auburn, CA

$305 9.5%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 38% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Auburn, CA

$191 6%

San Jose

$174 9% 8.9% $17

Getting Around

Auburn, CA

$117 3.7%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 30.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Auburn, CA

$95 3%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 7.2% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,823 in Auburn, CA versus $927 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 run about 286% higher in Auburn, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Auburn, CA versus $61.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $558 vs $401 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Auburn, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

12:59 12:59 PM

1 h ahead of Auburn, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,143

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Auburn, CA San Jose 4,880 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Auburn, CA
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

Auburn, CA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,212 in Auburn, CA, $1,938 in San Jose – roughly 66% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,818 per month in Auburn, CA and $2,907 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.

Kindergarten costs $2,686 per month in Auburn, CA and $1,001 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Auburn, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,938, than in Auburn, CA at $3,212. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Auburn, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,938 in San Jose to $3,212 in Auburn, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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