Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bethlehem, PA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,582 in Bethlehem, PA, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bethlehem, PA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

Cost of Living Index in Bethlehem, PA
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Bethlehem, PA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Bethlehem, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,582

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,582 per month in Bethlehem, PA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Bethlehem, PA $2,582
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,693 per month in Bethlehem, PA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Bethlehem, PA $3,693
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,804 per month in Bethlehem, PA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Bethlehem, PA $4,804
San Jose $4,054

Bethlehem, PA costs about 23% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bethlehem, PA and San Jose sit above the global median – Bethlehem, PA by 91%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.08 $18.08

$12.37 ₡5,563

46.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 $50.5

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-19.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.03 $13.03

$11.71 ₡5,264

11.27%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$4.54 ₡2,040

9.91%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$2.75 ₡1,238

11.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.86 ₡837

6.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.39 $5.39

$3.35 ₡1,505

60.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 $7.81

$4.32 ₡1,944

80.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.36 ₡1,061

-51.69%

White Bread (500g)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.07 ₡1,379

33.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.51 ₡1,128

56.18%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$3.53 ₡1,585

21.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.90 $11.90

$10.54 ₡4,738

12.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.08 $16.08

$10.57 ₡4,754

52.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.71 $18.71

$13.92 ₡6,261

34.41%

Apples (1kg)

$6.33 $6.33

$5.20 ₡2,338

21.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.65 ₡740

-19.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$4.89 ₡2,198

-16.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$3.84 ₡1,728

10.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$3.91 ₡1,757

-45.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.76 ₡1,692

-26.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.12 ₡504

145.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$3.22 ₡1,447

-43.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.23 $9.23

$6.02 ₡2,706

53.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.68 $17.68

$19.84 ₡8,919

-10.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.81 ₡1,264

-40.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.85 $6.85

$3.65 ₡1,643

87.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.26 ₡1,018

119.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.78 ₡799

65.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.48 $34.48

$7.90 ₡3,551

336.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.50 ₡673

-31.33%

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

$22.9K $22.9K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-31.68%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-42.93%

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

$207 $207

$93.2 ₡41.9K

122.47%

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

$39.37 $39.37

$36.13 ₡16.2K

8.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.6 $78.6

$60.6 ₡27.2K

29.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.08 $37.08

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-46.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$7.67 ₡3,449

94.65%

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

$1,000 $1,000

$972 ₡436.9K

2.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$65.3K $65.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

246.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 $53.1

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-24.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.72 $29.72

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-47.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 $67.4

$129 ₡57.8K

-47.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.0 $84.0

$131 ₡58.8K

-35.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 $1,527

$1,170 ₡525.9K

30.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 $1,322

$943 ₡424.1K

40.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,228 $2,228

$1,984 ₡892.0K

12.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 $2,161

$1,400 ₡629.5K

54.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,175 $2,175

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-18.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,119 $2,119

$2,037 ₡915.8K

4.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,664 $3,664

$987 ₡443.6K

271.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

8.62

-24.59%

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

Last update for Bethlehem, PA: 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

Bethlehem, PA

$1.3K 51.2%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 28.6% $379

Groceries & Markets

Bethlehem, PA

$437 16.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 7.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bethlehem, PA

$325 12.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 41.6% $135

Eating Out

Bethlehem, PA

$306 11.9%

San Jose

$232 11% 24.1% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Bethlehem, PA

$105 4.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 65.1% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Bethlehem, PA

$67 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 25.9% $17

Getting Around

Bethlehem, PA

$20 * 0.8%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 311% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,527 in Bethlehem, PA 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 Bethlehem, PA are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Bethlehem, PA versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $437 in Bethlehem, PA vs $403 in San Jose – so San Jose wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bethlehem, PA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

07:40 7:40 AM

1 h behind Bethlehem, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,624

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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Between locations

Bethlehem, PA San Jose 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bethlehem, PA
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

Bethlehem, PA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,582 in Bethlehem, PA, $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose comes out roughly 18% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,873 per month in Bethlehem, PA 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 $1,527 in Bethlehem, PA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Bethlehem, PA and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Bethlehem, PA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Bethlehem, PA at $2,582. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bethlehem, PA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,582 in Bethlehem, PA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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