Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baltimore, MD and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,591 in Baltimore, MD, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Baltimore, MD
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Baltimore, MD Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Baltimore, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,591

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,591 in Baltimore, MD versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Baltimore, MD $2,591
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,942 in Baltimore, MD versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Baltimore, MD $3,942
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,293 in Baltimore, MD versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Baltimore, MD $5,293
San Jose $4,054

Living in Baltimore, MD is roughly 23% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Baltimore, MD 92% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.22 $18.22

$12.37 ₡5,563

47.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.0 $95.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

52.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 $10.74

$11.71 ₡5,264

-8.28%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$4.54 ₡2,040

18.50%

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

$3.49 $3.49

$2.75 ₡1,238

26.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.86 ₡837

40.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.90 $6.90

$3.35 ₡1,505

105.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$4.32 ₡1,944

83.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.36 ₡1,061

-51.27%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.07 ₡1,379

32.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.51 ₡1,128

67.33%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$3.53 ₡1,585

38.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.00 $13.00

$10.54 ₡4,738

23.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.92 $12.92

$10.57 ₡4,754

22.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.14 $18.14

$13.92 ₡6,261

30.32%

Apples (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$5.20 ₡2,338

16.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.65 ₡740

-4.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$4.89 ₡2,198

13.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$3.84 ₡1,728

27.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.91 ₡1,757

-29.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.76 ₡1,692

-21.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.12 ₡504

114.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$3.22 ₡1,447

-29.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.27 $13.27

$6.02 ₡2,706

120.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.78 $15.78

$19.84 ₡8,919

-20.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.81 ₡1,264

-7.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 $3.83

$3.65 ₡1,643

4.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.08 ₡487

90.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.1 $77.1

$65.2 ₡29.3K

18.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.26 ₡1,018

-21.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.78 ₡799

-21.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.84 $23.84

$7.90 ₡3,551

201.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.50 ₡673

-27.33%

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

$33.9K $33.9K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

1.22%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.11%

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

$211 $211

$93.2 ₡41.9K

126.19%

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

$68.1 $68.1

$36.13 ₡16.2K

88.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.8 $80.8

$60.6 ₡27.2K

33.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.50 $48.50

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-29.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.68 $46.68

$24.94 ₡11.2K

87.17%

Cinema Ticket

$14.71 $14.71

$7.67 ₡3,449

91.79%

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

$1,942 $1,942

$972 ₡436.9K

99.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.9K $38.9K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

105.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 $53.3

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-24.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.3 $64.3

$56.7 ₡25.5K

13.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 $93.0

$129 ₡57.8K

-27.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$131 ₡58.8K

-16.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,688 $1,688

$1,170 ₡525.9K

44.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 $1,162

$943 ₡424.1K

23.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,098 $2,098

$1,984 ₡892.0K

5.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 $2,040

$1,400 ₡629.5K

45.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,408 $2,408

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-10.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,231 $2,231

$2,037 ₡915.8K

9.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,533 $4,533

$987 ₡443.6K

359.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.9

8.62

-19.95%

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

Last update for Baltimore, MD: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baltimore, MD

$1.2K 44.9%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 18.8% $219

Groceries & Markets

Baltimore, MD

$436 16.8%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 7.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baltimore, MD

$360 13.9%

San Jose

$190 9% 47.2% $170

Eating Out

Baltimore, MD

$317 12.2%

San Jose

$232 11% 26.7% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Baltimore, MD

$144 5.6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 20.8% $30

Getting Around

Baltimore, MD

$94 3.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 14.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Baltimore, MD

$78 3%

San Jose

$84 4% 8.1% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,688 in Baltimore, MD and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baltimore, MD pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $95 in Baltimore, MD vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $436 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Baltimore, MD

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

09:41 9:41 AM

1 h behind Baltimore, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

585,708

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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Between locations

Baltimore, MD San Jose 3,350 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Baltimore, MD
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

Baltimore, MD vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Baltimore, MD. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Baltimore, MD is about 4.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,688 in Baltimore, MD versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Baltimore, MD. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $95 in Baltimore, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,591 in Baltimore, MD, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Baltimore, MD. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Baltimore, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.