Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bethesda, MD and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,146 in Bethesda, MD, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Bethesda, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,146

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,146 per month in Bethesda, MD vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Bethesda, MD $3,146
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,946 per month in Bethesda, MD vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Bethesda, MD $4,946
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $6,745 per month in Bethesda, MD vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Bethesda, MD $6,745
San Jose $4,054

Bethesda, MD costs about 49% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bethesda, MD and San Jose sit above the global median – Bethesda, MD by 133%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.72 $22.72

$12.37 ₡5,563

83.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 $99.6

$62.4 ₡28.0K

59.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 $10.81

$11.71 ₡5,264

-7.69%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$4.54 ₡2,040

23.57%

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

$3.07 $3.07

$2.75 ₡1,238

11.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.86 ₡837

30.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 $6.97

$3.35 ₡1,505

108.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.20 $9.20

$4.32 ₡1,944

112.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.36 ₡1,061

-51.27%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$3.07 ₡1,379

36.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$2.51 ₡1,128

51.79%

Eggs

$4.71 $4.71

$3.53 ₡1,585

33.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.97 $16.97

$10.54 ₡4,738

61.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.87 $15.87

$10.57 ₡4,754

50.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.91 $22.91

$13.92 ₡6,261

64.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$5.20 ₡2,338

5.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.65 ₡740

-17.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$4.89 ₡2,198

-13.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$3.84 ₡1,728

11.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$3.91 ₡1,757

-45.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.76 ₡1,692

-27.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.12 ₡504

108.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.22 ₡1,447

-20.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.60 $9.60

$6.02 ₡2,706

59.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.16 $18.16

$19.84 ₡8,919

-8.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.81 ₡1,264

-39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.65 ₡1,643

-20.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.08 ₡487

174.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 $100

$65.2 ₡29.3K

53.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.26 ₡1,018

93.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.78 ₡799

-7.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.93 $32.93

$7.90 ₡3,551

316.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.50 ₡673

-33.33%

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

$22.9K $22.9K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-31.70%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-43.40%

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

$165 $165

$93.2 ₡41.9K

77.13%

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

$38.89 $38.89

$36.13 ₡16.2K

7.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.7 $61.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

1.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 $105

$68.9 ₡31.0K

52.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.33 $30.33

$24.94 ₡11.2K

21.61%

Cinema Ticket

$16.08 $16.08

$7.67 ₡3,449

109.65%

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

$1,867 $1,867

$972 ₡436.9K

92.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

25.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 $56.4

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-20.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 $56.0

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-1.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$129 ₡57.8K

-19.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$131 ₡58.8K

14.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,302 $2,302

$1,170 ₡525.9K

96.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,634 $1,634

$943 ₡424.1K

73.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,088 $4,088

$1,984 ₡892.0K

106.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,226 $3,226

$1,400 ₡629.5K

130.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,869 $5,869

$2,681 ₡1.2M

118.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,382 $5,382

$2,037 ₡915.8K

164.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,578 $8,578

$987 ₡443.6K

769.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

8.62

-20.42%

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

Last update for Bethesda, 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

Bethesda, MD

$1.6K 51.9%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 42.3% $691

Groceries & Markets

Bethesda, MD

$463 14.7%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 13% $60

Eating Out

Bethesda, MD

$357 11.3%

San Jose

$232 11% 34.9% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bethesda, MD

$266 8.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 28.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Bethesda, MD

$164 5.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 5.9% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Bethesda, MD

$138 4.4%

San Jose

$84 4% 38.7% $53

Getting Around

Bethesda, MD

$125 4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 35.3% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,302 in Bethesda, MD versus $1,170 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 Bethesda, MD are about 8.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Bethesda, MD versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $463 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bethesda, MD

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

11:02 11:02 AM

1 h behind Bethesda, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,858

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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Highest

Between locations

Bethesda, MD San Jose 3,300 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bethesda, 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

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

Yes – Bethesda, MD is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,720 per month in Bethesda, MD and $3,161 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 $1,170 there versus $2,302 in Bethesda, MD.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Bethesda, MD and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,146 in Bethesda, MD and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 33% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Bethesda, MD at $3,146. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bethesda, MD 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bethesda, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.