Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen County, NJ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $4,277 in Bergen County, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $26,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

206

Cost of Living Index in Bergen County, NJ
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Bergen County, NJ Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Bergen County, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$4,277

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,277 in Bergen County, NJ versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Bergen County, NJ $4,277
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,463 in Bergen County, NJ versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Bergen County, NJ $5,463
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,649 in Bergen County, NJ versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Bergen County, NJ $6,649
San Jose $4,054

Living in Bergen County, NJ is roughly 103% 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: Bergen County, NJ 216% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.75 $23.75

$12.37 ₡5,563

92.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 $89.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

42.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.99 $12.99

$11.71 ₡5,264

10.93%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$4.54 ₡2,040

13.88%

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

$2.89 $2.89

$2.75 ₡1,238

5.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.86 ₡837

22.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 $7.80

$3.35 ₡1,505

132.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 $7.83

$4.32 ₡1,944

81.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 $1.50

$2.36 ₡1,061

-36.44%

White Bread (500g)

$4.27 $4.27

$3.07 ₡1,379

39.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.38 $7.38

$2.51 ₡1,128

194.02%

Eggs

$5.22 $5.22

$3.53 ₡1,585

47.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.38 $12.38

$10.54 ₡4,738

17.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.51 $12.51

$10.57 ₡4,754

18.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.92 $17.92

$13.92 ₡6,261

28.74%

Apples (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$5.20 ₡2,338

4.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.65 ₡740

-7.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$4.89 ₡2,198

13.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$3.84 ₡1,728

49.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.91 ₡1,757

-24.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$3.76 ₡1,692

-13.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.12 ₡504

118.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.22 ₡1,447

-20.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.00 $12.00

$6.02 ₡2,706

99.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.43 $24.43

$19.84 ₡8,919

23.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.81 ₡1,264

-39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 $4.32

$3.65 ₡1,643

18.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.08 ₡487

286.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$168 $168

$65.2 ₡29.3K

157.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.26 ₡1,018

16.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.78 ₡799

2.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.38 $24.38

$7.90 ₡3,551

208.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.50 ₡673

-23.33%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.84%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.26%

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

$210 $210

$93.2 ₡41.9K

125.52%

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

$74.7 $74.7

$36.13 ₡16.2K

106.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 $64.0

$60.6 ₡27.2K

5.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.1 $98.1

$68.9 ₡31.0K

42.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.5 $50.5

$24.94 ₡11.2K

102.49%

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 $14.86

$7.67 ₡3,449

93.74%

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

$2,441 $2,441

$972 ₡436.9K

151.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.8K $33.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

79.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.30 $49.30

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-30.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 $43.32

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-23.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 $81.5

$129 ₡57.8K

-36.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 $148

$131 ₡58.8K

12.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,783 $2,783

$1,170 ₡525.9K

137.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,622 $2,622

$943 ₡424.1K

177.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,674 $4,674

$1,984 ₡892.0K

135.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,947 $2,947

$1,400 ₡629.5K

110.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 $4,024

$2,681 ₡1.2M

50.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,831 $3,831

$2,037 ₡915.8K

88.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,428 $5,428

$987 ₡443.6K

450.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.62

-20.88%

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

Last update for Bergen County, NJ: 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

Bergen County, NJ

$2.6K 61.3%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 64% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Bergen County, NJ

$470 11%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 14.4% $68

Eating Out

Bergen County, NJ

$366 8.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 36.6% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen County, NJ

$349 8.2%

San Jose

$190 9% 45.6% $159

Getting Around

Bergen County, NJ

$196 4.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 58.9% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen County, NJ

$145 3.4%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 20.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen County, NJ

$128 3%

San Jose

$84 4% 34.1% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,783 in Bergen County, NJ and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen County, NJ pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $89 in Bergen County, NJ vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $470 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bergen County, NJ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:49 4:49 PM

15:49 3:49 PM

1 h behind Bergen County, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,668

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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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Between locations

Bergen County, NJ San Jose 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bergen County, NJ
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

Bergen County, NJ vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,277 in Bergen County, NJ and $2,107 in San Jose, so San Jose is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bergen County, NJ is about 5.5 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: $2,783 in Bergen County, NJ versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $89 in Bergen County, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $4,277 per month in Bergen County, NJ versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $4,277 in Bergen County, NJ, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Bergen County, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bergen County, NJ, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Bergen County, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.