Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, IA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Burlington, IA: $1,769 a month against $1,924 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in San Jose despite lower rent and utilities.

86

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,769

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,769 in Burlington, IA versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Burlington, IA $1,769
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,675 in Burlington, IA versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Burlington, IA $2,675
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,580 in Burlington, IA versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Burlington, IA $3,580
San Jose $3,929

Living in Burlington, IA costs roughly 8% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burlington, IA 31% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.35 $11.35

$12.29 ₡5,513

-7.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-5.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 $8.84

$11.53 ₡5,171

-23.33%

Cappuccino

$4.74 $4.74

$4.35 ₡1,953

8.97%

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

$1.95 $1.95

$2.64 ₡1,183

-26.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.86 ₡836

8.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.32 ₡1,490

2.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 $4.58

$4.52 ₡2,026

1.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$2.39 ₡1,073

-66.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.08 ₡1,381

-8.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.50 ₡1,119

73.60%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$3.48 ₡1,562

-16.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 $11.37

$10.74 ₡4,815

5.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$10.32 ₡4,629

15.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 $14.20

$14.10 ₡6,325

0.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$5.03 ₡2,256

-20.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.59 ₡714

24.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$4.84 ₡2,171

-4.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.96 ₡1,776

17.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.76 ₡1,684

-27.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$3.73 ₡1,674

-30.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.08 ₡485

42.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.25 ₡1,456

-36.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 $8.16

$5.86 ₡2,627

39.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 $16.29

$20.28 ₡9,095

-19.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$2.90 ₡1,300

-34.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$3.73 ₡1,673

-39.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.08 ₡486

79.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.76 $15.76

$65.5 ₡29.4K

-75.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.50 ₡1,123

86.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.63 ₡732

-37.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.19 $22.19

$8.71 ₡3,904

154.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.58 ₡709

-40.51%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-32.36%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-40.05%

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

$184 $184

$93.7 ₡42.0K

96.58%

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

$47.16 $47.16

$35.42 ₡15.9K

33.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 $59.2

$60.0 ₡26.9K

-1.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-41.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$7.74 ₡3,471

54.01%

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

$1,210 $1,210

$1,005 ₡450.9K

20.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K $13.3K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-21.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.72 $44.72

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-38.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.53 $30.53

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-44.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$128 ₡57.5K

-32.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.90 $37.90

$130 ₡58.5K

-70.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 $754

$932 ₡418.0K

-19.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

$760 ₡340.8K

-6.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 $1,172

$1,922 ₡862.0K

-39.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$1,276 ₡572.1K

0.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,026 $1,026

$2,301 ₡1.0M

-55.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,033 $1,033

$1,833 ₡821.9K

-43.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,446 $4,446

$1,029 ₡461.3K

332.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

8.62

-24.13%

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

Last update for Burlington, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, IA

$707 40%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 7.5% $53

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, IA

$366 20.7%

San Jose

$403 21% 10.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, IA

$290 16.4%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 34.9% $101

Eating Out

Burlington, IA

$216 12.2%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 5.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, IA

$90 5.1%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 93.4% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, IA

$66 3.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 32.9% $22

Getting Around

Burlington, IA

$33 1.9%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 142% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $754 in Burlington, IA and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, IA pays 332% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Burlington, IA vs $62.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $403 per month, with Burlington, IA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

19:20 7:20 PM

18:20 6:20 PM

1 h behind Burlington, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Burlington, IA San Jose 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, IA
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

Burlington, IA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burlington, IA wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in San Jose. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Burlington, IA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 332% higher in Burlington, IA, 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: $754 in Burlington, IA versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,210 in Burlington, IA versus $1,005 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,769 in Burlington, IA versus $1,924 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Burlington, IA but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Burlington, IA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Burlington, IA delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,769 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Burlington, IA hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Burlington, IA 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 Burlington, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.