Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berwyn, IL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,449 in Berwyn, IL, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berwyn, IL
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Berwyn, IL Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Berwyn, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,449

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,449 in Berwyn, IL versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Berwyn, IL $2,449
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,655 in Berwyn, IL versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Berwyn, IL $3,655
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,860 in Berwyn, IL versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Berwyn, IL $4,860
San Jose $3,929

Living in Berwyn, IL is roughly 27% 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: Berwyn, IL 81% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.67 $19.67

$12.29 ₡5,513

60.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$62.3 ₡27.9K

20.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.83 $9.83

$11.53 ₡5,171

-14.74%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.35 ₡1,953

15.86%

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

$2.58 $2.58

$2.64 ₡1,183

-2.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.86 ₡836

5.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 $6.09

$3.32 ₡1,490

83.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.52 ₡2,026

56.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$2.39 ₡1,073

-65.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.08 ₡1,381

16.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.50 ₡1,119

112.00%

Eggs

$4.69 $4.69

$3.48 ₡1,562

34.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 $10.01

$10.74 ₡4,815

-6.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.92 $13.92

$10.32 ₡4,629

34.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 $16.75

$14.10 ₡6,325

18.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$5.03 ₡2,256

0.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.59 ₡714

-5.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$4.84 ₡2,171

-19.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$3.96 ₡1,776

26.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$3.76 ₡1,684

-31.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.73 ₡1,674

-30.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.08 ₡485

98.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$3.25 ₡1,456

-26.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.95 $10.95

$5.86 ₡2,627

86.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 $15.16

$20.28 ₡9,095

-25.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.90 ₡1,300

-32.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.73 ₡1,673

-6.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.08 ₡486

62.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.50 ₡1,123

14.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.63 ₡732

-15.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.24 $21.24

$8.71 ₡3,904

143.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.58 ₡709

-21.52%

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

$33.9K $33.9K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

0.92%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-37.89%

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

$195 $195

$93.7 ₡42.0K

108.28%

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

$68.7 $68.7

$35.42 ₡15.9K

93.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.2 $61.2

$60.0 ₡26.9K

2.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.38 $43.38

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-40.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$13.97 $13.97

$7.74 ₡3,471

80.49%

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

$1,693 $1,693

$1,005 ₡450.9K

68.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K $24.3K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

43.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 $54.4

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-25.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.43 $40.43

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-27.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 $94.9

$128 ₡57.5K

-26.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$130 ₡58.5K

-11.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 $1,401

$932 ₡418.0K

50.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,183 $1,183

$760 ₡340.8K

55.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,623 $2,623

$1,922 ₡862.0K

36.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,052 $2,052

$1,276 ₡572.1K

60.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,341 $2,341

$2,301 ₡1.0M

1.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,156 $2,156

$1,833 ₡821.9K

17.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

8.62

-22.85%

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

Last update for Berwyn, IL: October 18, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berwyn, IL

$1.2K 48.3%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 35.7% $423

Groceries & Markets

Berwyn, IL

$406 16.6%

San Jose

$403 21% 0.8% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berwyn, IL

$325 13.3%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 41.8% $136

Eating Out

Berwyn, IL

$310 12.7%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 26.2% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Berwyn, IL

$137 5.6%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 27% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Berwyn, IL

$71 2.9%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 23.5% $17

Getting Around

Berwyn, IL

$17 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 380% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,401 in Berwyn, IL and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75.0 in Berwyn, IL vs $62.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Berwyn, IL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

23:18 11:18 PM

1 h behind Berwyn, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

57,250

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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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Highest

Between locations

Berwyn, IL San Jose 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Berwyn, IL
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

Berwyn, IL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,674 in Berwyn, IL and $2,886 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: $1,401 in Berwyn, IL versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,693 in Berwyn, IL versus $1,005 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $75.0 in Berwyn, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,449 in Berwyn, IL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Berwyn, IL. 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 Berwyn, IL, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Berwyn, IL and San Jose are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Berwyn, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.