Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berkeley Heights, NJ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,473 in Berkeley Heights, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Berkeley Heights, NJ
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Berkeley Heights, NJ Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Berkeley Heights, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,473

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,473 in Berkeley Heights, NJ versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Berkeley Heights, NJ $2,473
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,780 in Berkeley Heights, NJ versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Berkeley Heights, NJ $3,780
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,087 in Berkeley Heights, NJ versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Berkeley Heights, NJ $5,087
San Jose $4,054

Living in Berkeley Heights, NJ is roughly 17% 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: Berkeley Heights, NJ 83% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 $18.73

$12.37 ₡5,563

51.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 $81.1

$62.4 ₡28.0K

30.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.77 $12.77

$11.71 ₡5,264

9.05%

Cappuccino

$6.47 $6.47

$4.54 ₡2,040

42.51%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$2.75 ₡1,238

-10.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.86 ₡837

-17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.75 $8.75

$3.35 ₡1,505

161.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$4.32 ₡1,944

65.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.36 ₡1,061

-44.07%

White Bread (500g)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.07 ₡1,379

47.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$2.51 ₡1,128

145.42%

Eggs

$6.91 $6.91

$3.53 ₡1,585

95.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$10.54 ₡4,738

33.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 $10.32

$10.57 ₡4,754

-2.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.13 $20.13

$13.92 ₡6,261

44.61%

Apples (1kg)

$6.14 $6.14

$5.20 ₡2,338

18.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.65 ₡740

111.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$4.89 ₡2,198

-13.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$3.84 ₡1,728

37.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$3.91 ₡1,757

-20.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$3.76 ₡1,692

-17.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.12 ₡504

169.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.22 ₡1,447

-4.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.74 $14.74

$6.02 ₡2,706

144.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 $14.86

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.81 ₡1,264

-36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.65 ₡1,643

-4.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.08 ₡487

65.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.7 $68.7

$65.2 ₡29.3K

5.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.26 ₡1,018

29.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.78 ₡799

24.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.63 $42.63

$7.90 ₡3,551

439.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.50 ₡673

-24.00%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-17.32%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.87%

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

$171 $171

$93.2 ₡41.9K

83.31%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$36.13 ₡16.2K

40.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 $50.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-17.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.86 $45.86

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-33.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$19.93 $19.93

$7.67 ₡3,449

159.84%

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

$1,734 $1,734

$972 ₡436.9K

78.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K $20.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

9.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 $50.8

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-28.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.03 $42.03

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-25.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 $87.6

$129 ₡57.8K

-31.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$131 ₡58.8K

-22.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,525 $1,525

$1,170 ₡525.9K

30.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 $1,089

$943 ₡424.1K

15.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,376 $2,376

$1,984 ₡892.0K

19.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,959 $1,959

$1,400 ₡629.5K

39.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,166 $3,166

$2,681 ₡1.2M

18.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,360 $2,360

$2,037 ₡915.8K

15.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

8.62

-22.04%

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

Last update for Berkeley Heights, NJ: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berkeley Heights, NJ

$1.1K 44%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 13.4% $146

Groceries & Markets

Berkeley Heights, NJ

$470 19%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 14.3% $67

Eating Out

Berkeley Heights, NJ

$340 13.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 31.6% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berkeley Heights, NJ

$272 11%

San Jose

$190 9% 30.1% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Berkeley Heights, NJ

$127 5.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 37.3% $47

Getting Around

Berkeley Heights, NJ

$90 3.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 10.2% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Berkeley Heights, NJ

$86 3.5%

San Jose

$84 4% 1.7% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,525 in Berkeley Heights, NJ and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $81 in Berkeley Heights, 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

🇺🇸 Berkeley Heights, NJ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

07:29 7:29 AM

1 h behind Berkeley Heights, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,575

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 →

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Between locations

Berkeley Heights, NJ San Jose 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Berkeley Heights, 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

Berkeley Heights, NJ vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,473 in Berkeley Heights, NJ and $2,107 in San Jose, so San Jose is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,709 in Berkeley Heights, NJ and $3,161 in San Jose to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,525 in Berkeley Heights, NJ versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 5% less than in Berkeley Heights, NJ. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,734 in Berkeley Heights, NJ versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 15% less than in Berkeley Heights, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.