Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Binghamton, NY and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,260 in Binghamton, NY, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Binghamton, NY
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Binghamton, NY Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Binghamton, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,260

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,260 in Binghamton, NY versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Binghamton, NY $2,260
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,452 in Binghamton, NY versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Binghamton, NY $3,452
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,644 in Binghamton, NY versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Binghamton, NY $4,644
San Jose $4,054

Living in Binghamton, NY is roughly 7% 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: Binghamton, NY 67% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.91 $15.91

$12.37 ₡5,546

28.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.96 $49.96

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-19.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.95 $10.95

$11.71 ₡5,248

-6.49%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$4.54 ₡2,034

18.72%

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

$2.22 $2.22

$2.75 ₡1,234

-19.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.86 ₡835

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.35 ₡1,501

47.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 $6.12

$4.32 ₡1,938

41.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.36 ₡1,057

-58.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.07 ₡1,375

28.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.51 ₡1,124

74.50%

Eggs

$4.33 $4.33

$3.53 ₡1,580

22.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.66 $12.66

$10.54 ₡4,724

20.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.21 $14.21

$10.57 ₡4,740

34.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.57 $17.57

$13.92 ₡6,242

26.22%

Apples (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$5.20 ₡2,331

4.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.65 ₡738

4.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$4.89 ₡2,191

5.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.01 $6.01

$3.84 ₡1,722

56.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$3.91 ₡1,752

0.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.76 ₡1,687

-3.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.12 ₡503

108.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$3.22 ₡1,443

-11.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.44 $11.44

$6.02 ₡2,698

90.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 $14.85

$19.84 ₡8,892

-25.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.81 ₡1,261

-39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 $4.88

$3.65 ₡1,638

33.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.08 ₡485

87.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 $69.8

$65.2 ₡29.2K

6.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.26 ₡1,015

34.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.78 ₡797

0.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.83 $23.83

$7.90 ₡3,540

201.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.50 ₡671

-30.67%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.5K ₡15.0M

-16.70%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.45%

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

$211 $211

$93.2 ₡41.8K

126.27%

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

$65.1 $65.1

$36.13 ₡16.2K

80.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 $64.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

6.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.4 $52.4

$68.9 ₡30.9K

-24.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.88 $39.88

$24.94 ₡11.2K

59.90%

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$7.67 ₡3,439

92.44%

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

$1,309 $1,309

$972 ₡435.6K

34.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,129 $7,129

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-62.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.98 $41.98

$70.6 ₡31.7K

-40.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 $56.5

$56.7 ₡25.4K

-0.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 $76.0

$129 ₡57.7K

-40.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$131 ₡58.7K

10.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 $1,319

$1,170 ₡524.3K

12.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$882 $882

$943 ₡422.8K

-6.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,909 $1,909

$1,984 ₡889.3K

-3.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 $1,703

$1,400 ₡627.6K

21.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,340 $1,340

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-50.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,332 $1,332

$2,037 ₡913.0K

-34.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,696 $3,696

$987 ₡442.3K

274.65%

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 Binghamton, NY: 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

Binghamton, NY

$882 39%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 6.9% $61

Groceries & Markets

Binghamton, NY

$444 19.7%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 9.4% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Binghamton, NY

$341 15.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 44.2% $151

Eating Out

Binghamton, NY

$277 12.3%

San Jose

$232 11% 16.1% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Binghamton, NY

$144 6.4%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 21.1% $30

Getting Around

Binghamton, NY

$90 4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 10.2% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Binghamton, NY

$82 3.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 2.9% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,319 in Binghamton, NY and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Binghamton, NY pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Binghamton, NY vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $444 vs $403, with San Jose cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Binghamton, NY

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

21:14 9:14 PM

1 h behind Binghamton, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,969

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Binghamton, NY San Jose 3,660 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Binghamton, NY
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

Binghamton, NY vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Binghamton, NY is about 3.7 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: $1,319 in Binghamton, NY versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Binghamton, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Binghamton, NY – a meal for two runs $50 versus $62 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though San Jose gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Binghamton, NY on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.