Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bellingham, WA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,105 a month against $3,010 in Bellingham, WA, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Bellingham, WA
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Bellingham, WA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Bellingham, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,010

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,010 per month in Bellingham, WA vs $2,105 in San Jose, rent included.

Bellingham, WA $3,010
San Jose $2,105

A couple spends around $4,448 per month in Bellingham, WA vs $3,074 in San Jose, rent included.

Bellingham, WA $4,448
San Jose $3,074

A family of three spends $5,886 per month in Bellingham, WA vs $4,043 in San Jose, rent included.

Bellingham, WA $5,886
San Jose $4,043

Bellingham, WA costs about 43% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bellingham, WA and San Jose sit above the global median – Bellingham, WA by 121%, San Jose by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.70 $24.70

$12.43 ₡5,609

98.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$60.9 ₡27.5K

66.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 $13.26

$11.72 ₡5,288

13.14%

Cappuccino

$5.94 $5.94

$4.47 ₡2,019

32.89%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$2.75 ₡1,241

14.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.92 ₡867

14.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$3.26 ₡1,470

110.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 $6.90

$4.45 ₡2,009

55.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.36 ₡1,063

-52.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.82 $3.82

$3.09 ₡1,393

23.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.40 ₡1,083

104.58%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$3.44 ₡1,553

44.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.80 $18.80

$10.73 ₡4,841

75.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.61 $18.61

$10.36 ₡4,674

79.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.00 $23.00

$13.84 ₡6,243

66.18%

Apples (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$5.15 ₡2,323

-0.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.65 ₡746

14.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$4.67 ₡2,109

13.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.32 $6.32

$3.98 ₡1,798

58.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.90 ₡1,761

-7.44%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$3.65 ₡1,647

-13.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.08 ₡487

136.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.10 ₡1,398

-20.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.44 $12.44

$6.08 ₡2,745

104.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.95 $14.95

$20.05 ₡9,047

-25.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.77 ₡1,252

-36.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 $5.74

$3.69 ₡1,666

55.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.12 ₡503

77.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.51 $30.51

$66.7 ₡30.1K

-54.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.49 ₡1,122

7.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.63 ₡735

4.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.27 $30.27

$8.47 ₡3,821

257.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.57 ₡708

-8.28%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-20.43%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-39.25%

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

$217 $217

$93.2 ₡42.0K

133.08%

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

$57.4 $57.4

$36.05 ₡16.3K

59.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.3 $81.3

$59.1 ₡26.7K

37.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.0 $62.0

$69.0 ₡31.1K

-10.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$24.80 ₡11.2K

-40.24%

Cinema Ticket

$18.31 $18.31

$7.85 ₡3,543

133.25%

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

$1,125 $1,125

$996 ₡449.4K

12.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K $31.7K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

86.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 $80.5

$70.1 ₡31.6K

14.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.32 $28.32

$55.2 ₡24.9K

-48.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$130 ₡58.5K

-16.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$131 ₡59.2K

13.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 $1,707

$1,164 ₡525.2K

46.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 $1,458

$945 ₡426.4K

54.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,598 $2,598

$1,993 ₡899.4K

30.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,347 $2,347

$1,404 ₡633.4K

67.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,441 $4,441

$2,727 ₡1.2M

62.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,925 $3,925

$2,040 ₡920.7K

92.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,391 $4,391

$1,011 ₡456.1K

334.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

8.62

-22.51%

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

Last update for Bellingham, WA: October 24, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bellingham, WA

$1.5K 48.4%

San Jose

$945 44.9% 35.2% $513

Groceries & Markets

Bellingham, WA

$505 16.8%

San Jose

$399 19% 20.9% $105

Eating Out

Bellingham, WA

$378 12.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 38.6% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bellingham, WA

$356 11.8%

San Jose

$188 9% 47.1% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Bellingham, WA

$165 5.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 5.2% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Bellingham, WA

$99 3.3%

San Jose

$85 4% 14.1% $14

Getting Around

Bellingham, WA

$50 1.7%

San Jose

$82 3.9% 64.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,707 in Bellingham, WA versus $1,164 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 Bellingham, WA are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bellingham, WA versus $61 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $505 vs $399 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bellingham, WA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

1 h ahead of Bellingham, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,482

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Bellingham, WA San Jose 5,590 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bellingham, WA
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

Bellingham, WA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bellingham, WA costs about 43% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,515 per month in Bellingham, WA and $3,158 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 $1,164 there versus $1,707 in Bellingham, WA.

Kindergarten costs $1,125 per month in Bellingham, WA and $996 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Bellingham, WA, 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 $2,105, than in Bellingham, WA at $3,010. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bellingham, WA 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.

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