Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, MN and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,462 in Austin, MN, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Austin, MN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

121

Cost of Living Index in Austin, MN
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Austin, MN Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Austin, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,462

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in Austin, MN vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Austin, MN $2,462
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $3,691 per month in Austin, MN vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Austin, MN $3,691
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $4,921 per month in Austin, MN vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Austin, MN $4,921
San Jose $3,934

Austin, MN costs about 27% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Austin, MN and San Jose sit above the global median – Austin, MN by 82%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 $20.05

$12.38 ₡5,551

61.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 $99.6

$60.9 ₡27.3K

63.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$11.45 ₡5,135

6.72%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.39 ₡1,967

14.81%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$2.70 ₡1,211

9.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.93 ₡864

3.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.20 ₡1,433

59.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 $5.80

$4.41 ₡1,979

31.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$2.44 ₡1,093

-65.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.05 ₡1,369

-5.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.41 ₡1,081

-20.75%

Eggs

$2.66 $2.66

$3.40 ₡1,523

-21.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 $9.65

$10.75 ₡4,823

-10.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$10.43 ₡4,679

-37.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.15 $19.15

$13.99 ₡6,273

36.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$5.25 ₡2,353

-1.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.59 ₡712

-22.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$4.69 ₡2,103

-23.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$3.95 ₡1,770

-55.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.92 ₡1,760

-34.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.68 ₡1,651

-39.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.12 ₡503

34.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.19 ₡1,429

-37.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.71 $8.71

$6.00 ₡2,692

45.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$19.56 ₡8,771

-84.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.82 ₡1,263

-37.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.59 ₡1,611

-15.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.12 ₡503

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.50 ₡1,119

-19.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.63 ₡733

-22.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.06 $20.06

$8.50 ₡3,812

136.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.56 ₡701

-39.10%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

58.18%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-31.23%

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

$187 $187

$95.2 ₡42.7K

95.99%

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

$52.3 $52.3

$35.58 ₡16.0K

46.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.3 $79.3

$58.6 ₡26.3K

35.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.93 $35.93

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-50.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$15.30 $15.30

$7.58 ₡3,401

101.85%

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

$1,361 $1,361

$1,001 ₡449.0K

35.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K $11.6K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-32.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 $77.5

$70.5 ₡31.6K

9.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.0 $54.0

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-3.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$130 ₡58.2K

-21.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$131 ₡58.7K

25.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 $1,433

$927 ₡415.8K

54.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$774 ₡347.2K

64.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,528 $2,528

$1,967 ₡882.0K

28.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,157 $2,157

$1,288 ₡577.6K

67.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,481 $2,481

$2,274 ₡1.0M

9.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,593 $2,593

$1,831 ₡821.0K

41.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Austin, MN: October 10, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, MN

$1.3K 51.8%

San Jose

$774 40% 39.2% $500

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, MN

$318 12.9%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 40.5% $129

Eating Out

Austin, MN

$314 12.8%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 27.1% $85

Groceries & Markets

Austin, MN

$293 11.9%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 36.6% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, MN

$179 7.3%

San Jose

$174 9% 2.7% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, MN

$67 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 32.1% $21

Getting Around

Austin, MN

$16 * 0.7%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 406% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,433 in Austin, MN 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Austin, MN versus $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $293 in Austin, MN vs $401 in San Jose – so Austin, MN wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, MN

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

12:58 12:58 PM

1 h behind Austin, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

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

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Between locations

Austin, MN San Jose 3,850 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, MN
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

Austin, MN vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Austin, MN is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,692 per month in Austin, MN 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,462 in Austin, MN and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 27%.

Kindergarten costs $1,361 per month in Austin, MN and $1,001 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,938, than in Austin, MN at $2,462. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Austin, MN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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