Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birmingham, AL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,751 in Birmingham, AL, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Birmingham, AL
Learn more

Birmingham, AL Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Birmingham, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,751

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,751 per month in Birmingham, AL vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Birmingham, AL $2,751
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $4,028 per month in Birmingham, AL vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Birmingham, AL $4,028
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $5,305 per month in Birmingham, AL vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Birmingham, AL $5,305
San Jose $3,857

Birmingham, AL costs about 41% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Birmingham, AL and San Jose sit above the global median – Birmingham, AL by 105%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.83 $17.83

$12.22 ₡5,510

45.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 $70.6

$60.1 ₡27.1K

17.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 $9.22

$11.77 ₡5,305

-21.67%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$4.30 ₡1,939

31.63%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$2.72 ₡1,226

-1.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.84 ₡830

29.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.28 ₡1,480

55.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 $5.96

$4.36 ₡1,966

36.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$2.38 ₡1,074

-55.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.12 ₡1,408

-1.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.41 ₡1,086

97.10%

Eggs

$4.06 $4.06

$3.47 ₡1,564

17.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 $9.69

$10.57 ₡4,767

-8.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.97 $10.97

$10.56 ₡4,758

3.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.18 $16.18

$13.75 ₡6,196

17.67%

Apples (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$5.04 ₡2,274

27.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.61 ₡727

-18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.79 $7.79

$4.59 ₡2,069

69.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$3.84 ₡1,731

43.75%

Potato (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$3.77 ₡1,700

14.32%

Onion (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$3.76 ₡1,693

39.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.12 ₡506

145.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$3.20 ₡1,441

-11.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$5.84 ₡2,632

72.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.77 $14.77

$19.73 ₡8,897

-25.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.75 ₡1,240

-15.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$3.66 ₡1,650

-0.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.12 ₡503

35.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.3 $81.3

$65.1 ₡29.4K

24.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.46 ₡1,110

23.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.54 ₡692

0.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.49 $30.49

$8.46 ₡3,815

260.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.55 ₡699

-41.94%

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

$34.1K $34.1K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

57.04%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-29.11%

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

$290 $290

$94.7 ₡42.7K

205.91%

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

$76.5 $76.5

$35.11 ₡15.8K

117.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 $69.5

$58.6 ₡26.4K

18.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.58 $40.58

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-43.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.09 $20.09

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-20.25%

Cinema Ticket

$15.71 $15.71

$7.83 ₡3,532

100.64%

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

$1,340 $1,340

$971 ₡437.9K

37.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K $18.0K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

6.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 $58.1

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-18.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.40 $38.40

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-29.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$129 ₡58.2K

-15.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$133 ₡60.0K

3.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,701 $1,701

$934 ₡420.9K

82.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 $1,235

$770 ₡347.2K

60.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,914 $2,914

$1,945 ₡876.7K

49.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,090 $2,090

$1,316 ₡593.5K

58.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,948 $2,948

$2,277 ₡1.0M

29.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,878 $1,878

$1,795 ₡809.1K

4.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,137 $3,137

$1,006 ₡453.5K

211.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

8.62

-22.39%

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

Last update for Birmingham, AL: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Birmingham, AL

$1.2K 45.5%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 37.6% $465

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birmingham, AL

$436 16%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 56.8% $247

Groceries & Markets

Birmingham, AL

$425 15.6%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 6.1% $26

Eating Out

Birmingham, AL

$296 10.9%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 22.9% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Birmingham, AL

$154 5.7%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 13.5% $21

Getting Around

Birmingham, AL

$98 3.6%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 18.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Birmingham, AL

$72 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 22% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,701 in Birmingham, AL versus $934 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 run about 212% higher in Birmingham, AL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Birmingham, AL versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $425 vs $399 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Birmingham, AL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

06:37 6:37 AM

05:37 5:37 AM

1 h behind Birmingham, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,733

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Birmingham, AL San Jose 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Birmingham, AL
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

Birmingham, AL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,751 in Birmingham, AL, $1,949 in San Jose – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,126 per month in Birmingham, AL and $2,924 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,751 in Birmingham, AL and $1,949 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 41%.

Public transport costs about 25% less in San Jose. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in Birmingham, AL at $2,751. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Birmingham, AL 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 $1,949 in San Jose to $2,751 in Birmingham, AL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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