Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brooklyn, NY and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY, rent and utilities included – about $25,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

204

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Brooklyn, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,230

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,230 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Brooklyn, NY $4,230
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $6,364 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Brooklyn, NY $6,364
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $8,497 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Brooklyn, NY $8,497
San Jose $4,054

Brooklyn, NY costs about 101% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Brooklyn, NY and San Jose sit above the global median – Brooklyn, NY by 213%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.37 $20.37

$12.37 ₡5,563

64.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 $107

$62.4 ₡28.0K

71.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 $11.86

$11.71 ₡5,264

1.28%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$4.54 ₡2,040

20.93%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$2.75 ₡1,238

-4.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.86 ₡837

22.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$3.35 ₡1,505

133.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.90 $8.90

$4.32 ₡1,944

106.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.36 ₡1,061

-29.24%

White Bread (500g)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.07 ₡1,379

49.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.02 $7.02

$2.51 ₡1,128

179.68%

Eggs

$6.59 $6.59

$3.53 ₡1,585

86.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.57 $16.57

$10.54 ₡4,738

57.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.01 $17.01

$10.57 ₡4,754

60.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.96 $19.96

$13.92 ₡6,261

43.39%

Apples (1kg)

$7.93 $7.93

$5.20 ₡2,338

52.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.65 ₡740

123.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$4.89 ₡2,198

6.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.84 ₡1,728

57.29%

Potato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.91 ₡1,757

2.81%

Onion (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$3.76 ₡1,692

27.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.12 ₡504

135.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$3.22 ₡1,447

-24.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.04 $15.04

$6.02 ₡2,706

149.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.33 $21.33

$19.84 ₡8,919

7.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.81 ₡1,264

-2.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.65 ₡1,643

-10.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.08 ₡487

172.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$183 $183

$65.2 ₡29.3K

180.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.26 ₡1,018

30.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.78 ₡799

20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.63 $42.63

$7.90 ₡3,551

439.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.50 ₡673

-24.00%

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

$31.2K $31.2K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-6.69%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.76%

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

$219 $219

$93.2 ₡41.9K

135.21%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$36.13 ₡16.2K

67.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 $61.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

1.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

$68.9 ₡31.0K

78.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.28 $35.28

$24.94 ₡11.2K

41.46%

Cinema Ticket

$20.06 $20.06

$7.67 ₡3,449

161.54%

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

$3,022 $3,022

$972 ₡436.9K

210.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$52.2K $52.2K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

176.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 $70.0

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-0.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.8 $76.8

$56.7 ₡25.5K

35.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$129 ₡57.8K

-5.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$131 ₡58.8K

-9.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,827 $3,827

$1,170 ₡525.9K

227.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 $2,454

$943 ₡424.1K

160.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,537 $7,537

$1,984 ₡892.0K

279.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,441 $4,441

$1,400 ₡629.5K

217.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K $12.4K

$2,681 ₡1.2M

362.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,713 $7,713

$2,037 ₡915.8K

278.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,614 $3,614

$987 ₡443.6K

266.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.78

8.62

-21.35%

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

Last update for Brooklyn, NY: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brooklyn, NY

$2.5K 58%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 61.6% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Brooklyn, NY

$549 13%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 26.6% $146

Eating Out

Brooklyn, NY

$341 8.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 31.8% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brooklyn, NY

$341 8.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 44.3% $151

Getting Around

Brooklyn, NY

$208 4.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 61.3% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Brooklyn, NY

$174 4.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 0.1% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Brooklyn, NY

$163 3.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 48.3% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,827 in Brooklyn, NY versus $1,170 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 in Brooklyn, NY are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in Brooklyn, NY versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $549 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brooklyn, NY

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

05:13 5:13 AM

1 h behind Brooklyn, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,736,074

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brooklyn, NY San Jose 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Brooklyn, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY, $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose comes out roughly 50% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,346 per month in Brooklyn, NY and $3,161 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $3,827 in Brooklyn, NY.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in Brooklyn, NY and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 50% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Brooklyn, NY at $4,230. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brooklyn, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Brooklyn, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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