Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookhaven, NY and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,882 in Brookhaven, NY, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Brookhaven, NY
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Brookhaven, NY Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Brookhaven, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,882

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,882 in Brookhaven, NY versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Brookhaven, NY $2,882
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,227 in Brookhaven, NY versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Brookhaven, NY $4,227
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,572 in Brookhaven, NY versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Brookhaven, NY $5,572
San Jose $4,054

Living in Brookhaven, NY is roughly 37% 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: Brookhaven, NY 113% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.61 $24.61

$12.37 ₡5,563

98.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$62.4 ₡28.0K

63.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 $10.83

$11.71 ₡5,264

-7.51%

Cappuccino

$5.43 $5.43

$4.54 ₡2,040

19.60%

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

$2.13 $2.13

$2.75 ₡1,238

-22.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.86 ₡837

-17.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 $7.94

$3.35 ₡1,505

137.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.89 $7.89

$4.32 ₡1,944

82.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$2.36 ₡1,061

-45.76%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$3.07 ₡1,379

36.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.42 $7.42

$2.51 ₡1,128

195.62%

Eggs

$5.98 $5.98

$3.53 ₡1,585

69.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.62 $12.62

$10.54 ₡4,738

19.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.07 $16.07

$10.57 ₡4,754

52.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.33 $17.33

$13.92 ₡6,261

24.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$5.20 ₡2,338

0.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.65 ₡740

8.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$4.89 ₡2,198

30.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.31 $6.31

$3.84 ₡1,728

64.32%

Potato (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$3.91 ₡1,757

40.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.76 ₡1,692

-1.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.12 ₡504

159.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.22 ₡1,447

-12.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.52 $11.52

$6.02 ₡2,706

91.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.47 $24.47

$19.84 ₡8,919

23.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.81 ₡1,264

-38.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 $5.52

$3.65 ₡1,643

51.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.08 ₡487

103.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.6 $67.6

$65.2 ₡29.3K

3.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.26 ₡1,018

34.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.78 ₡799

16.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.31 $24.31

$7.90 ₡3,551

207.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.50 ₡673

-22.00%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-18.58%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.74%

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

$216 $216

$93.2 ₡41.9K

132.27%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$36.13 ₡16.2K

104.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

9.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.81 $43.81

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-36.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.21 $14.21

$7.67 ₡3,449

85.27%

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

$2,495 $2,495

$972 ₡436.9K

156.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.3K $34.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

81.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.27 $41.27

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-41.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 $56.5

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-0.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 $75.1

$129 ₡57.8K

-41.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 $157

$131 ₡58.8K

20.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 $1,604

$1,170 ₡525.9K

37.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,339 $1,339

$943 ₡424.1K

41.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,532 $2,532

$1,984 ₡892.0K

27.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,072 $2,072

$1,400 ₡629.5K

48.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,643 $2,643

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-1.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 $2,195

$2,037 ₡915.8K

7.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.92

8.62

-19.72%

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

Last update for Brookhaven, NY: 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

Brookhaven, NY

$1.3K 46.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 29.5% $396

Groceries & Markets

Brookhaven, NY

$511 17.7%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 21.1% $108

Eating Out

Brookhaven, NY

$365 12.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 36.3% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookhaven, NY

$357 12.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 46.8% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Brookhaven, NY

$149 5.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 17.1% $25

Getting Around

Brookhaven, NY

$90 3.1%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 10.1% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Brookhaven, NY

$72 2.5%

San Jose

$84 4% 16.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,604 in Brookhaven, NY and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $102 in Brookhaven, NY vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $511 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brookhaven, NY

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

14:19 2:19 PM

1 h behind Brookhaven, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,674

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brookhaven, NY San Jose 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Brookhaven, NY
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

Brookhaven, NY vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,322 in Brookhaven, NY and $3,161 in San Jose to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,604 in Brookhaven, NY versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,495 in Brookhaven, NY versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Brookhaven, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,882 in Brookhaven, NY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Brookhaven, NY. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Brookhaven, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Brookhaven, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.