Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brentwood, TN and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,756 in Brentwood, TN, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Brentwood, TN
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Brentwood, TN Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Brentwood, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,756

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,756 in Brentwood, TN versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Brentwood, TN $2,756
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,945 in Brentwood, TN versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Brentwood, TN $3,945
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,135 in Brentwood, TN versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Brentwood, TN $5,135
San Jose $3,929

Living in Brentwood, TN is roughly 43% 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: Brentwood, TN 103% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.74 $17.74

$12.29 ₡5,513

44.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$62.3 ₡27.9K

20.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.74 $11.74

$11.53 ₡5,171

1.82%

Cappuccino

$5.42 $5.42

$4.35 ₡1,953

24.60%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$2.64 ₡1,183

7.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.86 ₡836

34.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 $6.68

$3.32 ₡1,490

101.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$4.52 ₡2,026

50.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.39 ₡1,073

-53.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.08 ₡1,381

29.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.50 ₡1,119

61.20%

Eggs

$4.29 $4.29

$3.48 ₡1,562

23.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.05 $13.05

$10.74 ₡4,815

21.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.57 $14.57

$10.32 ₡4,629

41.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.20 $18.20

$14.10 ₡6,325

29.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$5.03 ₡2,256

13.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.59 ₡714

-3.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$4.84 ₡2,171

-42.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$3.96 ₡1,776

23.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.76 ₡1,684

-41.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.73 ₡1,674

-18.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.08 ₡485

118.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.25 ₡1,456

-30.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.10 $9.10

$5.86 ₡2,627

55.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.68 $15.68

$20.28 ₡9,095

-22.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.90 ₡1,300

-31.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.73 ₡1,673

-14.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.08 ₡486

72.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.50 ₡1,123

96.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.63 ₡732

-1.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.69 $20.69

$8.71 ₡3,904

137.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.58 ₡709

-34.18%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-15.66%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-34.65%

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

$224 $224

$93.7 ₡42.0K

139.51%

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

$72.4 $72.4

$35.42 ₡15.9K

104.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.9 $63.9

$60.0 ₡26.9K

6.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.70 $41.70

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-42.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 $15.11

$7.74 ₡3,471

95.22%

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

$1,205 $1,205

$1,005 ₡450.9K

19.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

42.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 $55.0

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-24.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.33 $42.33

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-23.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$128 ₡57.5K

-14.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$130 ₡58.5K

5.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,424 $1,424

$932 ₡418.0K

52.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 $1,416

$760 ₡340.8K

86.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,706 $2,706

$1,922 ₡862.0K

40.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,206 $2,206

$1,276 ₡572.1K

72.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 $2,678

$2,301 ₡1.0M

16.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 $2,349

$1,833 ₡821.9K

28.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,027 $6,027

$1,029 ₡461.3K

485.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Brentwood, TN: October 18, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brentwood, TN

$1.4K 51.4%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 46.3% $656

Groceries & Markets

Brentwood, TN

$421 15.3%

San Jose

$403 21% 4.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brentwood, TN

$361 13.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 47.6% $172

Eating Out

Brentwood, TN

$311 11.3%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 26.3% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Brentwood, TN

$155 5.6%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 12.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Brentwood, TN

$72 2.6%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 22.5% $16

Getting Around

Brentwood, TN

$20 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 296% $60

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 $1,424 in Brentwood, TN and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brentwood, TN pays 486% 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: $75.0 in Brentwood, TN vs $62.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brentwood, TN

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

06:26 6:26 AM

1 h behind Brentwood, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,474

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

Brentwood, TN San Jose 2,920 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brentwood, TN
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

Brentwood, TN vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brentwood, TN and San Jose differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($2,756 vs $1,924 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 486% higher in Brentwood, TN, 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: $1,424 in Brentwood, TN versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Brentwood, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,756 per month in Brentwood, TN versus $1,924 in San Jose – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,756 in Brentwood, TN, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Brentwood, TN. 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 43% less than in Brentwood, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.