Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boca Raton, FL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,639 in Boca Raton, FL, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

174

Cost of Living Index in Boca Raton, FL
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Boca Raton, FL Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Boca Raton, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,639

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,639 in Boca Raton, FL versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Boca Raton, FL $3,639
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,362 in Boca Raton, FL versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Boca Raton, FL $5,362
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,085 in Boca Raton, FL versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Boca Raton, FL $7,085
San Jose $4,054

Living in Boca Raton, FL is roughly 73% 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: Boca Raton, FL 169% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.69 $24.69

$12.37 ₡5,572

99.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$62.4 ₡28.1K

61.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.34 $12.34

$11.71 ₡5,272

5.38%

Cappuccino

$4.62 $4.62

$4.54 ₡2,043

1.76%

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

$2.26 $2.26

$2.75 ₡1,239

-17.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.86 ₡839

3.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.35 ₡1,508

84.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$4.32 ₡1,947

65.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.36 ₡1,062

-55.93%

White Bread (500g)

$4.43 $4.43

$3.07 ₡1,381

44.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.90 $6.90

$2.51 ₡1,129

174.90%

Eggs

$5.23 $5.23

$3.53 ₡1,588

48.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 $11.24

$10.54 ₡4,746

6.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.46 $14.46

$10.57 ₡4,761

36.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.80 $23.80

$13.92 ₡6,270

70.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$5.20 ₡2,341

-6.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.65 ₡742

16.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$4.89 ₡2,201

-24.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$3.84 ₡1,730

30.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.91 ₡1,760

-14.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.76 ₡1,694

-9.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.12 ₡505

-8.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.22 ₡1,449

-20.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.35 $10.35

$6.02 ₡2,711

71.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 $13.77

$19.84 ₡8,932

-30.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.81 ₡1,266

-31.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$3.65 ₡1,646

-37.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.08 ₡488

89.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.1 $70.1

$65.2 ₡29.4K

7.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.26 ₡1,019

77.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.78 ₡800

-56.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.74 $29.74

$7.90 ₡3,557

276.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.50 ₡674

-31.33%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

4.84%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.69%

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

$216 $216

$93.2 ₡42.0K

131.47%

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

$52.7 $52.7

$36.13 ₡16.3K

45.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.7 $74.7

$60.6 ₡27.3K

23.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$139 $139

$68.9 ₡31.0K

101.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.65 $20.65

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-17.20%

Cinema Ticket

$14.80 $14.80

$7.67 ₡3,454

92.96%

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

$1,083 $1,083

$972 ₡437.6K

11.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K $23.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

23.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.80 $46.80

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-33.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.64 $41.64

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-26.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 $72.4

$129 ₡57.9K

-43.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 $68.7

$131 ₡58.9K

-47.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 $2,742

$1,170 ₡526.7K

134.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 $2,136

$943 ₡424.7K

126.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,079 $4,079

$1,984 ₡893.3K

105.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,662 $3,662

$1,400 ₡630.5K

161.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,633 $4,633

$2,681 ₡1.2M

72.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,262 $3,262

$2,037 ₡917.1K

60.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,607 $5,607

$987 ₡444.3K

468.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

8.62

-24.25%

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

Last update for Boca Raton, FL: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boca Raton, FL

$2.1K 58.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 55.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Boca Raton, FL

$449 12.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 10.4% $47

Eating Out

Boca Raton, FL

$352 9.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 33.9% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boca Raton, FL

$343 9.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 44.7% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Boca Raton, FL

$169 4.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 50% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Boca Raton, FL

$103 2.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 68.5% $71

Getting Around

Boca Raton, FL

$86 2.4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 6.4% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,742 in Boca Raton, FL and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Boca Raton, FL pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Boca Raton, FL vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $449 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Boca Raton, FL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

16:11 4:11 PM

1 h behind Boca Raton, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,396

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Boca Raton, FL San Jose 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Boca Raton, FL
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

Boca Raton, FL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Boca Raton, FL is about 5.7 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: $2,742 in Boca Raton, FL versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $101 in Boca Raton, FL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,639 per month in Boca Raton, FL versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,639 in Boca Raton, FL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Boca Raton, FL. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Boca Raton, FL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.