Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge, MA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $4,799 in Cambridge, MA, rent and utilities included – about $32,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

228

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge, MA
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Cambridge, MA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Cambridge, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,799

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,799 in Cambridge, MA versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Cambridge, MA $4,799
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,155 in Cambridge, MA versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Cambridge, MA $7,155
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,510 in Cambridge, MA versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Cambridge, MA $9,510
San Jose $4,054

Living in Cambridge, MA is roughly 128% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge, MA 255% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.83 $19.83

$12.37 ₡5,563

60.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$62.4 ₡28.0K

62.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 $11.82

$11.71 ₡5,264

0.94%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$4.54 ₡2,040

18.50%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$2.75 ₡1,238

9.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.86 ₡837

26.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.35 ₡1,505

136.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$4.32 ₡1,944

89.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.36 ₡1,061

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.41 $4.41

$3.07 ₡1,379

43.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.23 $7.23

$2.51 ₡1,128

188.05%

Eggs

$5.02 $5.02

$3.53 ₡1,585

42.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.02 $19.02

$10.54 ₡4,738

80.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.98 $13.98

$10.57 ₡4,754

32.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$13.92 ₡6,261

36.71%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 $7.42

$5.20 ₡2,338

42.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.65 ₡740

-0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$4.89 ₡2,198

20.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.71 $7.71

$3.84 ₡1,728

100.78%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.91 ₡1,757

12.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.76 ₡1,692

-2.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.12 ₡504

161.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$3.22 ₡1,447

-22.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.35 $13.35

$6.02 ₡2,706

121.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 $15.55

$19.84 ₡8,919

-21.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.81 ₡1,264

-30.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.65 ₡1,643

22.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.08 ₡487

121.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.9 $88.9

$65.2 ₡29.3K

36.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.26 ₡1,018

71.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.78 ₡799

20.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.68 $29.68

$7.90 ₡3,551

275.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.50 ₡673

-26.00%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-18.32%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.22%

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

$228 $228

$93.2 ₡41.9K

144.75%

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

$55.6 $55.6

$36.13 ₡16.2K

53.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.6 $78.6

$60.6 ₡27.2K

29.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.9 $74.9

$68.9 ₡31.0K

8.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.38 $30.38

$24.94 ₡11.2K

21.81%

Cinema Ticket

$15.17 $15.17

$7.67 ₡3,449

97.78%

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

$2,591 $2,591

$972 ₡436.9K

166.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$45.7K $45.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

142.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 $72.8

$70.6 ₡31.8K

3.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 $51.1

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-9.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$129 ₡57.8K

-19.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$131 ₡58.8K

7.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,738 $3,738

$1,170 ₡525.9K

219.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,207 $3,207

$943 ₡424.1K

239.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,164 $6,164

$1,984 ₡892.0K

210.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,901 $5,901

$1,400 ₡629.5K

321.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,656 $7,656

$2,681 ₡1.2M

185.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,069 $6,069

$2,037 ₡915.8K

197.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,222 $6,222

$987 ₡443.6K

530.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

8.62

-24.59%

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

Last update for Cambridge, MA: November 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge, MA

$3.2K 66.8%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 70.6% $2.3K

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge, MA

$510 10.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 21% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge, MA

$362 7.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 47.6% $172

Eating Out

Cambridge, MA

$336 7%

San Jose

$232 11% 30.9% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge, MA

$166 3.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 5.1% $8.4

Getting Around

Cambridge, MA

$113 2.4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 28.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge, MA

$105 2.2%

San Jose

$84 4% 19.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,738 in Cambridge, MA and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge, MA pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Cambridge, MA vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $510 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cambridge, MA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

08:55 8:55 AM

1 h behind Cambridge, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,162

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

Cambridge, MA San Jose 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge, MA
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

Cambridge, MA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Cambridge, MA. 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 in Cambridge, MA is about 6.3 times higher, 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: $3,738 in Cambridge, MA versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Cambridge, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $101 in Cambridge, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $4,799 in Cambridge, MA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Cambridge, MA. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cambridge, MA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Cambridge, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.