Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between California, MD and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,463 in California, MD, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in California, MD
Learn more

California, MD Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

California, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,463

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,463 per month in California, MD vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

California, MD $2,463
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,793 per month in California, MD vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

California, MD $3,793
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,123 per month in California, MD vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

California, MD $5,123
San Jose $4,054

California, MD costs about 17% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both California, MD and San Jose sit above the global median – California, MD by 82%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.51 $24.51

$12.37 ₡5,563

98.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 $75.1

$62.4 ₡28.0K

20.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 $10.18

$11.71 ₡5,264

-13.07%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$4.54 ₡2,040

28.85%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$2.75 ₡1,238

-1.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.86 ₡837

45.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.36 $5.36

$3.35 ₡1,505

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.17 $8.17

$4.32 ₡1,944

89.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.36 ₡1,061

-60.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.07 ₡1,379

28.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.51 ₡1,128

-13.94%

Eggs

$4.01 $4.01

$3.53 ₡1,585

13.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.96 $11.96

$10.54 ₡4,738

13.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.46 $14.46

$10.57 ₡4,754

36.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.44 $13.44

$13.92 ₡6,261

-3.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$5.20 ₡2,338

-15.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.65 ₡740

34.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.89 ₡2,198

-7.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.78 $6.78

$3.84 ₡1,728

76.56%

Potato (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$3.91 ₡1,757

9.72%

Onion (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.76 ₡1,692

8.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.12 ₡504

77.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.22 ₡1,447

-39.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.22 $9.22

$6.02 ₡2,706

53.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.16 $14.16

$19.84 ₡8,919

-28.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.81 ₡1,264

-39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 $4.75

$3.65 ₡1,643

30.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.08 ₡487

92.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.5 $82.5

$65.2 ₡29.3K

26.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.26 ₡1,018

81.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.78 ₡799

-17.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.92 $23.92

$7.90 ₡3,551

202.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.50 ₡673

-37.33%

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

$33.8K $33.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

0.83%

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

$23.5K $23.5K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-44.32%

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

$95.4 $95.4

$93.2 ₡41.9K

2.32%

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

$42.27 $42.27

$36.13 ₡16.2K

16.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.7 $60.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

0.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.69 $40.69

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-40.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.88 $10.88

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-56.38%

Cinema Ticket

$17.71 $17.71

$7.67 ₡3,449

130.90%

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

$1,865 $1,865

$972 ₡436.9K

91.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K $27.9K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

48.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 $53.9

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-23.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.48 $47.48

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-16.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$129 ₡57.8K

-33.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$131 ₡58.8K

-19.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,359 $2,359

$1,170 ₡525.9K

101.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 $1,186

$943 ₡424.1K

25.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,059 $2,059

$1,984 ₡892.0K

3.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,159 $2,159

$1,400 ₡629.5K

54.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,894 $6,894

$2,681 ₡1.2M

157.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,194 $6,194

$2,037 ₡915.8K

204.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,940 $6,940

$987 ₡443.6K

603.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

8.62

-25.75%

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

Last update for California, MD: 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

California, MD

$1.2K 48.1%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 20.4% $242

Groceries & Markets

California, MD

$408 16.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 1.3% $5.3

Eating Out

California, MD

$362 14.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 35.7% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

California, MD

$198 8.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 4.2% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

California, MD

$131 5.3%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 32.6% $43

Getting Around

California, MD

$102 4.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 21.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

California, MD

$76 3.1%

San Jose

$84 4% 10.7% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,359 in California, MD 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 California, MD are about 7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in California, MD versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $408 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 California, MD

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

14:25 2:25 PM

1 h behind California, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

California, MD San Jose 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

California, MD
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

California, MD vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – California, MD is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,695 per month in California, MD 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 $2,359 in California, MD.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,463 in California, MD and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 14% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,865 per month in California, MD and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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