Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brea, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $3,716 in Brea, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

Cost of Living Index in Brea, CA
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Brea, CA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Brea, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,716

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,716 in Brea, CA versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Brea, CA $3,716
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,124 in Brea, CA versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Brea, CA $5,124
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,532 in Brea, CA versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Brea, CA $6,532
San Jose $3,929

Living in Brea, CA is roughly 93% 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: Brea, CA 174% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.18 $25.18

$12.29 ₡5,513

104.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 $78.5

$62.3 ₡27.9K

26.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$11.53 ₡5,171

5.64%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$4.35 ₡1,953

28.51%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$2.64 ₡1,183

1.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.86 ₡836

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.34 $7.34

$3.32 ₡1,490

121.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.46 $9.46

$4.52 ₡2,026

109.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.39 ₡1,073

-50.63%

White Bread (500g)

$5.29 $5.29

$3.08 ₡1,381

71.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.50 ₡1,119

76.40%

Eggs

$4.86 $4.86

$3.48 ₡1,562

39.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.38 $15.38

$10.74 ₡4,815

43.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 $8.87

$10.32 ₡4,629

-14.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 $13.91

$14.10 ₡6,325

-1.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$5.03 ₡2,256

-7.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.59 ₡714

13.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$4.84 ₡2,171

-11.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$3.96 ₡1,776

45.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.76 ₡1,684

-3.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.73 ₡1,674

-17.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.08 ₡485

98.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$3.25 ₡1,456

-32.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.95 $11.95

$5.86 ₡2,627

103.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$20.28 ₡9,095

-25.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$3.73 ₡1,673

-13.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.50 ₡1,123

83.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.63 ₡732

11.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.28 $36.28

$8.71 ₡3,904

316.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.58 ₡709

-0.63%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-17.31%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-37.56%

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

$218 $218

$93.7 ₡42.0K

132.59%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$35.42 ₡15.9K

99.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$60.0 ₡26.9K

15.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.08 $30.08

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-58.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 $20.02

$25.83 ₡11.6K

-22.49%

Cinema Ticket

$19.98 $19.98

$7.74 ₡3,471

158.14%

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

$1,162 $1,162

$1,005 ₡450.9K

15.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.8K $42.8K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

152.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 $62.2

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-14.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.12 $41.12

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-25.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 $80.9

$128 ₡57.5K

-36.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$130 ₡58.5K

-20.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$932 ₡418.0K

140.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,354 $2,354

$760 ₡340.8K

209.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,133 $3,133

$1,922 ₡862.0K

63.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,521 $3,521

$1,276 ₡572.1K

176.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,884 $5,884

$2,301 ₡1.0M

155.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,172 $6,172

$1,833 ₡821.9K

236.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,939 $9,939

$1,029 ₡461.3K

866.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

8.62

-26.80%

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

Last update for Brea, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brea, CA

$2.4K 63.4%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 67.7% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Brea, CA

$411 11.1%

San Jose

$403 21% 2% $8.3

Eating Out

Brea, CA

$379 10.2%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 39.7% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brea, CA

$358 9.6%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 47.2% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Brea, CA

$130 3.5%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 34.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Brea, CA

$70 1.9%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 25.8% $18

Getting Around

Brea, CA

$14 * 0.4%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 491% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,241 in Brea, CA and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brea, CA pays 866% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Brea, CA vs $62.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $411 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brea, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

16:35 4:35 PM

1 h ahead of Brea, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,585

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 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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Highest

Between locations

Brea, CA San Jose 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Brea, CA
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

Brea, CA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 93% lower than in Brea, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 866% higher in Brea, CA, 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: $2,241 in Brea, CA versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,162 in Brea, CA versus $1,005 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $79.0 in Brea, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $3,716 in Brea, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Brea, CA. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Jose delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,924 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Jose hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brea, CA and San Jose are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Brea, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.