Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chesterfield, MO and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,474 in Chesterfield, MO, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chesterfield, MO outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

121

Cost of Living Index in Chesterfield, MO
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Chesterfield, MO Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Chesterfield, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,474

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,474 in Chesterfield, MO versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Chesterfield, MO $2,474
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,442 in Chesterfield, MO versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Chesterfield, MO $3,442
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,411 in Chesterfield, MO versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Chesterfield, MO $4,411
San Jose $3,929

Living in Chesterfield, MO is roughly 29% 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: Chesterfield, MO 83% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.13 $25.13

$12.29 ₡5,513

104.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 $61.0

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-2.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$11.53 ₡5,171

-12.58%

Cappuccino

$5.01 $5.01

$4.35 ₡1,953

15.17%

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

$2.21 $2.21

$2.64 ₡1,183

-16.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.86 ₡836

-33.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 $4.46

$3.32 ₡1,490

34.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 $6.33

$4.52 ₡2,026

40.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.39 ₡1,073

-56.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.08 ₡1,381

-2.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.50 ₡1,119

-14.40%

Eggs

$3.62 $3.62

$3.48 ₡1,562

4.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.39 $11.39

$10.74 ₡4,815

6.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.91 $8.91

$10.32 ₡4,629

-13.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 $12.93

$14.10 ₡6,325

-8.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$5.03 ₡2,256

-14.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.59 ₡714

-28.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$4.84 ₡2,171

-38.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$3.96 ₡1,776

7.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$3.76 ₡1,684

-56.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$3.73 ₡1,674

-34.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.08 ₡485

69.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.25 ₡1,456

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.88 $7.88

$5.86 ₡2,627

34.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.52 $13.52

$20.28 ₡9,095

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.90 ₡1,300

-36.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 $4.46

$3.73 ₡1,673

19.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.08 ₡486

82.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.50 ₡1,123

22.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.63 ₡732

-14.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.08 $36.08

$8.71 ₡3,904

314.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.58 ₡709

-42.41%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-27.47%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-45.46%

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

$254 $254

$93.7 ₡42.0K

171.04%

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

$58.2 $58.2

$35.42 ₡15.9K

64.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.1 $72.1

$60.0 ₡26.9K

20.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.23 $41.23

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-43.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$12.20 $12.20

$7.74 ₡3,471

57.62%

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

$776 $776

$1,005 ₡450.9K

-22.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

57.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.1 $60.1

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-17.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.46 $30.46

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-45.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.80 $39.80

$128 ₡57.5K

-68.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.13 $40.13

$130 ₡58.5K

-69.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,778 $1,778

$932 ₡418.0K

90.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 $1,262

$760 ₡340.8K

66.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,161 $3,161

$1,922 ₡862.0K

64.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,868 $1,868

$1,276 ₡572.1K

46.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,734 $2,734

$2,301 ₡1.0M

18.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,341 $2,341

$1,833 ₡821.9K

27.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

8.62

-26.22%

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

Last update for Chesterfield, MO: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chesterfield, MO

$1.3K 51%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 39.8% $502

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chesterfield, MO

$384 15.5%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 50.8% $195

Eating Out

Chesterfield, MO

$340 13.8%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 32.7% $111

Groceries & Markets

Chesterfield, MO

$328 13.3%

San Jose

$403 21% 22.9% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Chesterfield, MO

$77 3.1%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 127% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Chesterfield, MO

$66 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 34.2% $22

Getting Around

Chesterfield, MO

$18 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 348% $63

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,778 in Chesterfield, MO and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Chesterfield, MO vs $62.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $403 per month, with Chesterfield, MO cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chesterfield, MO

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:30 6:30 PM

17:30 5:30 PM

1 h behind Chesterfield, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,999

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

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Between locations

Chesterfield, MO San Jose 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chesterfield, MO
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

Chesterfield, MO vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chesterfield, MO and San Jose differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($2,474 vs $1,924 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,711 in Chesterfield, MO and $2,886 in San Jose to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,778 in Chesterfield, MO versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Chesterfield, MO pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,474 per month in Chesterfield, MO versus $1,924 in San Jose – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,474 in Chesterfield, MO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Chesterfield, MO. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Chesterfield, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.