Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $3,169 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Chicago, IL
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Chicago, IL Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,169

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,169 per month in Chicago, IL vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Chicago, IL $3,169
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $4,682 per month in Chicago, IL vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Chicago, IL $4,682
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $6,196 per month in Chicago, IL vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Chicago, IL $6,196
San Jose $3,857

Chicago, IL costs about 63% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chicago, IL and San Jose sit above the global median – Chicago, IL by 136%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.62 $21.62

$12.22 ₡5,510

76.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 $91.2

$60.1 ₡27.1K

51.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.09 $13.09

$11.77 ₡5,305

11.21%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$4.30 ₡1,939

34.42%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$2.72 ₡1,226

-2.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.84 ₡830

23.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.94 $6.94

$3.28 ₡1,480

111.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.93 $8.93

$4.36 ₡1,966

104.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.38 ₡1,074

-46.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.12 ₡1,408

26.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.41 ₡1,086

105.81%

Eggs

$4.64 $4.64

$3.47 ₡1,564

33.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 $13.97

$10.57 ₡4,767

32.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.37 $14.37

$10.56 ₡4,758

36.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.59 $18.59

$13.75 ₡6,196

35.20%

Apples (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$5.04 ₡2,274

6.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.61 ₡727

19.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$4.59 ₡2,069

-12.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$3.84 ₡1,731

28.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.77 ₡1,700

-25.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.76 ₡1,693

-26.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.12 ₡506

92.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 $3.12

$3.20 ₡1,441

-2.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.71 $15.71

$5.84 ₡2,632

169.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$19.73 ₡8,897

-22.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.75 ₡1,240

-6.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.66 ₡1,650

-4.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.12 ₡503

121.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 $74.4

$65.1 ₡29.4K

14.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 $3.23

$2.46 ₡1,110

31.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.54 ₡692

-7.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.33 $24.33

$8.46 ₡3,815

187.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.55 ₡699

-19.35%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

65.33%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-25.49%

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

$195 $195

$94.7 ₡42.7K

105.51%

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

$69.0 $69.0

$35.11 ₡15.8K

96.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 $62.1

$58.6 ₡26.4K

5.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 $54.5

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-24.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.80 $27.80

$25.19 ₡11.4K

10.36%

Cinema Ticket

$17.84 $17.84

$7.83 ₡3,532

127.84%

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

$1,513 $1,513

$971 ₡437.9K

55.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.1K $31.1K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

82.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.1 $68.1

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-4.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 $51.6

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-5.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$129 ₡58.2K

-21.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$133 ₡60.0K

5.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,437 $2,437

$934 ₡420.9K

161.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 $1,662

$770 ₡347.2K

115.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,644 $4,644

$1,945 ₡876.7K

138.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 $2,751

$1,316 ₡593.5K

108.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,036 $4,036

$2,277 ₡1.0M

77.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,677 $2,677

$1,795 ₡809.1K

49.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,861 $4,861

$1,006 ₡453.5K

383.22%

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 Chicago, IL: October 6, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chicago, IL

$1.7K 53%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 53.7% $892

Groceries & Markets

Chicago, IL

$450 14.3%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 11.2% $51

Eating Out

Chicago, IL

$354 11.3%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 35.5% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chicago, IL

$326 10.4%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 42.2% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Chicago, IL

$163 5.2%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 7.3% $12

Getting Around

Chicago, IL

$95 3%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 15.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chicago, IL

$90 2.9%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 2.6% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,437 in Chicago, IL versus $934 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 run about 383% higher in Chicago, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Chicago, IL versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $450 vs $399 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

07:00 7:00 AM

1 h behind Chicago, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,746,388

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

Chicago, IL San Jose 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chicago, IL
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

Chicago, IL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,169 in Chicago, IL, $1,949 in San Jose – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,753 per month in Chicago, IL and $2,924 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Chicago, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Chicago, IL and $60.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in Chicago, IL at $3,169. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chicago, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chicago, IL has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,949 in San Jose to $3,169 in Chicago, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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