Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bloomington, IL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,258 in Bloomington, IL, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Bloomington, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,258

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,258 per month in Bloomington, IL vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Bloomington, IL $2,258
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,264 per month in Bloomington, IL vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Bloomington, IL $3,264
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $4,270 per month in Bloomington, IL vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Bloomington, IL $4,270
San Jose $3,929

Bloomington, IL costs about 17% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bloomington, IL and San Jose sit above the global median – Bloomington, IL by 67%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.84 $17.84

$12.29 ₡5,513

45.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.4 $78.4

$62.3 ₡27.9K

25.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.98 $11.98

$11.53 ₡5,171

3.90%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$4.35 ₡1,953

20.46%

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

$2.42 $2.42

$2.64 ₡1,183

-8.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.86 ₡836

-9.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 $5.65

$3.32 ₡1,490

70.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$4.52 ₡2,026

58.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.39 ₡1,073

-54.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 $2.32

$3.08 ₡1,381

-24.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$2.50 ₡1,119

69.60%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$3.48 ₡1,562

6.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.39 $13.39

$10.74 ₡4,815

24.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 $7.76

$10.32 ₡4,629

-24.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.30 $17.30

$14.10 ₡6,325

22.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$5.03 ₡2,256

-29.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.59 ₡714

1.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$4.84 ₡2,171

14.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.96 ₡1,776

-12.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.76 ₡1,684

-9.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$3.73 ₡1,674

-28.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.08 ₡485

150.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.25 ₡1,456

-13.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.80 $7.80

$5.86 ₡2,627

33.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$20.28 ₡9,095

-25.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.90 ₡1,300

-33.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.73 ₡1,673

-14.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.08 ₡486

13.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.70 $40.70

$65.5 ₡29.4K

-37.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.50 ₡1,123

36.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.63 ₡732

-3.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.78 $40.78

$8.71 ₡3,904

368.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.58 ₡709

-39.87%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-18.87%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-39.03%

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

$196 $196

$93.7 ₡42.0K

109.39%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$35.42 ₡15.9K

96.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.1 $76.1

$60.0 ₡26.9K

26.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.8 $59.8

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-17.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$10.13 $10.13

$7.74 ₡3,471

30.88%

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

$1,426 $1,426

$1,005 ₡450.9K

41.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

40.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 $58.9

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-19.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 $40.53

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-26.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.6 $86.6

$128 ₡57.5K

-32.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$130 ₡58.5K

-7.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 $1,275

$932 ₡418.0K

36.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 $970

$760 ₡340.8K

27.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 $1,784

$1,922 ₡862.0K

-7.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 $1,439

$1,276 ₡572.1K

12.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,485 $1,485

$2,301 ₡1.0M

-35.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,309 $1,309

$1,833 ₡821.9K

-28.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,544 $4,544

$1,029 ₡461.3K

341.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

8.62

-22.04%

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

Last update for Bloomington, IL: October 20, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bloomington, IL

$970 43%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 21.7% $210

Groceries & Markets

Bloomington, IL

$370 16.4%

San Jose

$403 21% 9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bloomington, IL

$342 15.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 44.7% $153

Eating Out

Bloomington, IL

$301 13.3%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 23.9% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Bloomington, IL

$138 6.1%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 26.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Bloomington, IL

$80 3.6%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 10% $8

Getting Around

Bloomington, IL

$57 2.5%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 41.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,275 in Bloomington, IL versus $932 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 342% higher in Bloomington, IL, 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 $78.0 in Bloomington, IL versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $370 in Bloomington, IL vs $403 in San Jose – so Bloomington, IL wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bloomington, IL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

22:53 10:53 PM

21:53 9:53 PM

1 h behind Bloomington, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

69,247

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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Between locations

Bloomington, IL San Jose 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bloomington, 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

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

Bloomington, IL costs about 17% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,387 per month in Bloomington, IL and $2,886 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,426 per month in Bloomington, IL and $1,005 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Bloomington, IL – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Bloomington, IL at $2,258. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bloomington, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $1,924 versus $2,258 in Bloomington, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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