Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Centennial, CO and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,131 in Centennial, CO, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

151

Cost of Living Index in Centennial, CO
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Centennial, CO Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Centennial, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,131

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,131 per month in Centennial, CO vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Centennial, CO $3,131
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,356 per month in Centennial, CO vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Centennial, CO $4,356
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,580 per month in Centennial, CO vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Centennial, CO $5,580
San Jose $4,054

Centennial, CO costs about 49% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Centennial, CO and San Jose sit above the global median – Centennial, CO by 132%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.38 $20.38

$12.37 ₡5,563

64.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.2 $86.2

$62.4 ₡28.0K

38.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 $12.13

$11.71 ₡5,264

3.59%

Cappuccino

$6.25 $6.25

$4.54 ₡2,040

37.67%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$2.75 ₡1,238

1.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.86 ₡837

15.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.35 ₡1,505

112.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 $7.40

$4.32 ₡1,944

71.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.36 ₡1,061

-51.69%

White Bread (500g)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.07 ₡1,379

59.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.71 $6.71

$2.51 ₡1,128

167.33%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$3.53 ₡1,585

34.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.32 $13.32

$10.54 ₡4,738

26.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.92 $12.92

$10.57 ₡4,754

22.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.09 $19.09

$13.92 ₡6,261

37.14%

Apples (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$5.20 ₡2,338

0.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.65 ₡740

29.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$4.89 ₡2,198

-4.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.84 ₡1,728

32.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.91 ₡1,757

-8.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$3.76 ₡1,692

-27.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.12 ₡504

102.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.22 ₡1,447

-39.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.55 $10.55

$6.02 ₡2,706

75.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.14 $19.14

$19.84 ₡8,919

-3.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.81 ₡1,264

-7.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.65 ₡1,643

-25.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.52 $5.52

$1.08 ₡487

411.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.8 $86.8

$65.2 ₡29.3K

33.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.26 ₡1,018

57.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.78 ₡799

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.22 $20.22

$7.90 ₡3,551

155.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.50 ₡673

-27.33%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-8.10%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.63%

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

$212 $212

$93.2 ₡41.9K

127.50%

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

$62.3 $62.3

$36.13 ₡16.2K

72.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

16.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.0 $62.0

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-10.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.07 $20.07

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-19.53%

Cinema Ticket

$15.23 $15.23

$7.67 ₡3,449

98.57%

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

$1,324 $1,324

$972 ₡436.9K

36.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K $19.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

4.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 $61.0

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-13.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.59 $45.59

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-19.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$129 ₡57.8K

-19.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$131 ₡58.8K

1.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 $1,847

$1,170 ₡525.9K

57.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 $1,617

$943 ₡424.1K

71.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,858 $2,858

$1,984 ₡892.0K

44.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,210 $2,210

$1,400 ₡629.5K

57.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,142 $3,142

$2,681 ₡1.2M

17.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,805 $2,805

$2,037 ₡915.8K

37.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,464 $6,464

$987 ₡443.6K

555.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

8.62

-21.46%

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

Last update for Centennial, CO: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Centennial, CO

$1.6K 51.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 41.7% $674

Groceries & Markets

Centennial, CO

$456 14.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 11.7% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Centennial, CO

$345 11%

San Jose

$190 9% 45% $155

Eating Out

Centennial, CO

$345 11%

San Jose

$232 11% 32.6% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Centennial, CO

$154 4.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 12.9% $20

Getting Around

Centennial, CO

$121 3.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 33.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Centennial, CO

$93 3%

San Jose

$84 4% 8.9% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,847 in Centennial, CO 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 Centennial, CO are about 6.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Centennial, CO versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $456 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Centennial, CO

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

07:39 7:39 AM

1 h ahead of Centennial, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

109,741

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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Highest

Between locations

Centennial, CO San Jose 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Centennial, CO
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

Centennial, CO vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,131 in Centennial, CO, $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose comes out roughly 33% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,697 per month in Centennial, CO 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 $1,847 in Centennial, CO.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Centennial, CO and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,131 in Centennial, CO and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 33% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Centennial, CO at $3,131. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Centennial, CO it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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, Centennial, CO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.