Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burbank, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $3,642 in Burbank, CA, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

178

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Burbank, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,642

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,642 per month in Burbank, CA vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Burbank, CA $3,642
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $3,559 per month in Burbank, CA vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Burbank, CA $3,559
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $3,476 per month in Burbank, CA vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Burbank, CA $3,476
San Jose $3,857

Burbank, CA costs about 87% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Burbank, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Burbank, CA by 172%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.41 $25.41

$12.22 ₡5,510

107.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 $77.1

$60.1 ₡27.1K

28.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.95 $14.95

$11.77 ₡5,305

27.02%

Cappuccino

$5.79 $5.79

$4.30 ₡1,939

34.65%

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

$3.79 $3.79

$2.72 ₡1,226

39.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.84 ₡830

44.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$3.28 ₡1,480

136.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.03 $10.03

$4.36 ₡1,966

130.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$2.38 ₡1,074

-45.38%

White Bread (500g)

$4.82 $4.82

$3.12 ₡1,408

54.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.41 ₡1,086

88.38%

Eggs

$5.81 $5.81

$3.47 ₡1,564

67.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.40 $15.40

$10.57 ₡4,767

45.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.31 $16.31

$10.56 ₡4,758

54.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.27 $19.27

$13.75 ₡6,196

40.15%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$5.04 ₡2,274

0.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.61 ₡727

44.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$4.59 ₡2,069

-14.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$3.84 ₡1,731

47.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$3.77 ₡1,700

-15.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.76 ₡1,693

-25.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.12 ₡506

94.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$3.20 ₡1,441

-15.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.82 $11.82

$5.84 ₡2,632

102.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.95 $14.95

$19.73 ₡8,897

-24.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.75 ₡1,240

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.66 ₡1,650

-24.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.12 ₡503

54.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.46 ₡1,110

28.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.54 ₡692

20.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.06 $32.06

$8.46 ₡3,815

278.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.55 ₡699

-6.45%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

67.83%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-26.54%

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

$214 $214

$94.7 ₡42.7K

125.98%

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

$78.5 $78.5

$35.11 ₡15.8K

123.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.8 $72.8

$58.6 ₡26.4K

24.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$129 $129

$72.2 ₡32.5K

78.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$19.80 $19.80

$7.83 ₡3,532

152.87%

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

$1,670 $1,670

$971 ₡437.9K

71.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K $31.8K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

86.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 $63.0

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-12.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.44 $48.44

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-11.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$129 ₡58.2K

-18.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$133 ₡60.0K

-22.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 $3,217

$934 ₡420.9K

244.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 $2,096

$770 ₡347.2K

172.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,421 $5,421

$1,006 ₡453.5K

438.90%

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 Burbank, CA: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burbank, CA

$2.1K 57.1%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 63.3% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Burbank, CA

$476 13%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 16.2% $77

Eating Out

Burbank, CA

$402 11%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 43.3% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burbank, CA

$365 10%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 48.4% $177

Sport & Entertainment

Burbank, CA

$168 4.6%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 47.8% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Burbank, CA

$144 3.9%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 21.2% $31

Getting Around

Burbank, CA

$19 * 0.5%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 312% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,217 in Burbank, CA versus $934 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 run about 439% higher in Burbank, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Burbank, CA versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $476 vs $399 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burbank, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

12:58 12:58 PM

1 h ahead of Burbank, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,340

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

Burbank, CA San Jose 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Burbank, 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

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

Burbank, CA costs about 87% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,463 per month in Burbank, CA and $2,924 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,642 in Burbank, CA and $1,949 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 87%.

Kindergarten costs $1,670 per month in Burbank, CA and $971 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in Burbank, CA at $3,642. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burbank, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $1,949 versus $3,642 in Burbank, CA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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