Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caldwell, TX and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,105 a month against $2,449 in Caldwell, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Caldwell, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Caldwell, TX
Learn more

Caldwell, TX Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Caldwell, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,449

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,449 in Caldwell, TX versus $2,105 in San Jose.

Caldwell, TX $2,449
San Jose $2,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,548 in Caldwell, TX versus $3,074 in San Jose.

Caldwell, TX $3,548
San Jose $3,074

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,647 in Caldwell, TX versus $4,043 in San Jose.

Caldwell, TX $4,647
San Jose $4,043

Living in Caldwell, TX is roughly 16% 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: Caldwell, TX 80% above, San Jose 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.88 $14.88

$12.43 ₡5,609

19.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 $60.4

$60.9 ₡27.5K

-0.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$11.72 ₡5,288

-15.70%

Cappuccino

$3.97 $3.97

$4.47 ₡2,019

-11.19%

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

$1.47 $1.47

$2.75 ₡1,241

-46.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.92 ₡867

-9.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 $5.13

$3.26 ₡1,470

57.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 $6.05

$4.45 ₡2,009

35.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.36 ₡1,063

-67.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 $2.71

$3.09 ₡1,393

-12.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.40 ₡1,083

65.00%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$3.44 ₡1,553

-15.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 $10.95

$10.73 ₡4,841

2.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.64 $15.64

$10.36 ₡4,674

50.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.53 $24.53

$13.84 ₡6,243

77.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$5.15 ₡2,323

-14.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.65 ₡746

7.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$4.67 ₡2,109

-4.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$3.98 ₡1,798

-33.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$3.90 ₡1,761

-44.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$3.65 ₡1,647

-52.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.08 ₡487

89.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.10 ₡1,398

-36.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.61 $9.61

$6.08 ₡2,745

58.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.68 $10.68

$20.05 ₡9,047

-46.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.77 ₡1,252

-39.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.69 ₡1,666

-3.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.12 ₡503

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.0 $51.0

$66.7 ₡30.1K

-23.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.49 ₡1,122

33.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.63 ₡735

1.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.34 $26.34

$8.47 ₡3,821

210.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.57 ₡708

-40.13%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-23.39%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-39.94%

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

$173 $173

$93.2 ₡42.0K

85.95%

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

$25.30 $25.30

$36.05 ₡16.3K

-29.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 $68.5

$59.1 ₡26.7K

15.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.60 $40.60

$69.0 ₡31.1K

-41.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.85 $9.85

$24.80 ₡11.2K

-60.28%

Cinema Ticket

$14.96 $14.96

$7.85 ₡3,543

90.57%

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

$1,521 $1,521

$996 ₡449.4K

52.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K $24.7K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

44.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.35 $22.35

$70.1 ₡31.6K

-68.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 $56.1

$55.2 ₡24.9K

1.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.9 $64.9

$130 ₡58.5K

-49.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 $96.4

$131 ₡59.2K

-26.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 $1,565

$1,164 ₡525.2K

34.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 $1,297

$945 ₡426.4K

37.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,531 $2,531

$1,993 ₡899.4K

27.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 $2,115

$1,404 ₡633.4K

50.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 $2,784

$2,727 ₡1.2M

2.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,330 $2,330

$2,040 ₡920.7K

14.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,333 $1,333

$1,011 ₡456.1K

31.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

8.62

-23.20%

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

Last update for Caldwell, TX: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caldwell, TX

$1.3K 53%

San Jose

$945 44.9% 27.1% $352

Groceries & Markets

Caldwell, TX

$389 15.9%

San Jose

$399 19% 2.5% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caldwell, TX

$267 10.9%

San Jose

$188 9% 29.5% $79

Eating Out

Caldwell, TX

$247 10.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Caldwell, TX

$108 4.4%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 61.2% $66

Getting Around

Caldwell, TX

$70 2.9%

San Jose

$82 3.9% 16.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Caldwell, TX

$71 2.9%

San Jose

$85 4% 20.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,565 in Caldwell, TX and $1,164 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caldwell, TX pays 32% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Caldwell, TX vs $61 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $399 per month, with Caldwell, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Caldwell, TX

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

14:18 2:18 PM

1 h behind Caldwell, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,996

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Caldwell, TX San Jose 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Caldwell, TX
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

Caldwell, TX vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Caldwell, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Caldwell, TX, 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: $1,565 in Caldwell, TX versus $1,164 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,449 per month in Caldwell, TX versus $2,105 in San Jose – San Jose is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Caldwell, TX runs roughly 24% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Caldwell, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.