Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aurora, IL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,697 in Aurora, IL, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Aurora, IL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

130

Cost of Living Index in Aurora, IL
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Aurora, IL Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Aurora, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,697

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,697 per month in Aurora, IL vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Aurora, IL $2,697
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $3,815 per month in Aurora, IL vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Aurora, IL $3,815
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $4,932 per month in Aurora, IL vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Aurora, IL $4,932
San Jose $3,857

Aurora, IL costs about 38% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Aurora, IL and San Jose sit above the global median – Aurora, IL by 101%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.27 $14.27

$12.22 ₡5,510

16.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.4 $59.4

$60.1 ₡27.1K

-1.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$11.77 ₡5,305

0.25%

Cappuccino

$5.25 $5.25

$4.30 ₡1,939

22.09%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$2.72 ₡1,226

9.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.84 ₡830

27.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.28 ₡1,480

55.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$4.36 ₡1,966

85.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$2.38 ₡1,074

-62.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$3.12 ₡1,408

11.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.41 ₡1,086

77.59%

Eggs

$3.53 $3.53

$3.47 ₡1,564

1.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 $9.05

$10.57 ₡4,767

-14.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.45 $11.45

$10.56 ₡4,758

8.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.00 $16.00

$13.75 ₡6,196

16.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$5.04 ₡2,274

-8.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.61 ₡727

2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$4.59 ₡2,069

-17.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.84 ₡1,731

-15.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$3.77 ₡1,700

-49.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.76 ₡1,693

-28.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.12 ₡506

58.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$3.20 ₡1,441

-49.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 $10.64

$5.84 ₡2,632

82.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.52 $13.52

$19.73 ₡8,897

-31.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.75 ₡1,240

-17.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.66 ₡1,650

-20.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 $133

$65.1 ₡29.4K

104.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.46 ₡1,110

59.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.54 ₡692

33.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.88 $42.88

$8.46 ₡3,815

406.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.55 ₡699

-32.90%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

14.49%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-28.89%

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

$177 $177

$94.7 ₡42.7K

86.60%

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

$51.2 $51.2

$35.11 ₡15.8K

45.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.0 $54.0

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-7.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.64 $29.64

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-58.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.87 $11.87

$7.83 ₡3,532

51.60%

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

$1,488 $1,488

$971 ₡437.9K

53.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

40.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 $57.1

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-20.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 $50.7

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-7.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 $87.7

$129 ₡58.2K

-32.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 $81.3

$133 ₡60.0K

-38.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 $1,662

$934 ₡420.9K

78.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,425 $1,425

$770 ₡347.2K

84.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 $2,205

$1,945 ₡876.7K

13.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,218 $2,218

$1,316 ₡593.5K

68.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,824 $9,824

$2,277 ₡1.0M

331.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,179 $3,179

$1,795 ₡809.1K

77.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,784 $3,784

$1,006 ₡453.5K

276.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.62

-25.17%

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

Last update for Aurora, IL: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aurora, IL

$1.4K 53.6%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 45.9% $655

Groceries & Markets

Aurora, IL

$353 13.3%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 13% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aurora, IL

$282 10.6%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 33.2% $93

Eating Out

Aurora, IL

$276 10.4%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 17.2% $47

Getting Around

Aurora, IL

$147 * 5.5%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 45.9% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Aurora, IL

$124 4.7%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 40.5% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Aurora, IL

$53 2%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 64.5% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,662 in Aurora, IL versus $934 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 276% higher in Aurora, IL, 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 $59.0 in Aurora, IL versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $399 – making Aurora, IL the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aurora, IL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

05:25 5:25 AM

1 h behind Aurora, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,542

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

Aurora, IL San Jose 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Aurora, IL
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

Aurora, IL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aurora, IL costs about 38% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,045 per month in Aurora, IL and $2,924 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Aurora, IL and $60.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,697 in Aurora, IL and $1,949 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 38%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in Aurora, IL at $2,697. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aurora, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $1,949 versus $2,697 in Aurora, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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