Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Clifton, NJ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,835 in Clifton, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Clifton, NJ
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Clifton, NJ Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Clifton, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,835

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,835 per month in Clifton, NJ vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Clifton, NJ $2,835
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,106 per month in Clifton, NJ vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Clifton, NJ $4,106
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,376 per month in Clifton, NJ vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Clifton, NJ $5,376
San Jose $4,054

Clifton, NJ costs about 35% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Clifton, NJ and San Jose sit above the global median – Clifton, NJ by 110%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.17 $22.17

$12.37 ₡5,563

79.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.3 $81.3

$62.4 ₡28.0K

30.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 $13.26

$11.71 ₡5,264

13.24%

Cappuccino

$6.62 $6.62

$4.54 ₡2,040

45.81%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$2.75 ₡1,238

-8.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.86 ₡837

-6.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 $7.83

$3.35 ₡1,505

133.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.85 $6.85

$4.32 ₡1,944

58.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.36 ₡1,061

-44.07%

White Bread (500g)

$4.46 $4.46

$3.07 ₡1,379

45.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$2.51 ₡1,128

136.65%

Eggs

$6.00 $6.00

$3.53 ₡1,585

69.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.10 $14.10

$10.54 ₡4,738

33.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.47 $10.47

$10.57 ₡4,754

-0.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 $19.88

$13.92 ₡6,261

42.82%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$5.20 ₡2,338

16.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.65 ₡740

36.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.73 $6.73

$4.89 ₡2,198

37.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$3.84 ₡1,728

40.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.53 $3.53

$3.91 ₡1,757

-9.72%

Onion (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.76 ₡1,692

18.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.12 ₡504

169.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$3.22 ₡1,447

-17.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.89 $14.89

$6.02 ₡2,706

147.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.81 ₡1,264

-35.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.65 ₡1,643

-0.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.08 ₡487

311.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.26 ₡1,018

30.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.78 ₡799

23.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$7.90 ₡3,551

421.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.50 ₡673

-24.00%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

1.44%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.08%

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

$230 $230

$93.2 ₡41.9K

146.45%

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

$50.0 $50.0

$36.13 ₡16.2K

38.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 $68.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

12.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.53 $28.53

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-58.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$20.49 $20.49

$7.67 ₡3,449

167.14%

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

$1,772 $1,772

$972 ₡436.9K

82.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K $20.1K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

6.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.38 $31.38

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-55.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.34 $20.34

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-64.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$129 ₡57.8K

-16.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$131 ₡58.8K

5.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,336 $1,336

$1,170 ₡525.9K

14.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 $1,418

$943 ₡424.1K

50.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,818 $2,818

$1,984 ₡892.0K

42.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$1,400 ₡629.5K

60.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,781 $8,781

$2,681 ₡1.2M

227.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,307 $4,307

$987 ₡443.6K

336.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

8.62

-22.04%

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

Last update for Clifton, NJ: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Clifton, NJ

$1.4K 50%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 33.5% $475

Groceries & Markets

Clifton, NJ

$468 16.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 14% $65

Eating Out

Clifton, NJ

$366 12.9%

San Jose

$232 11% 36.6% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Clifton, NJ

$348 12.3%

San Jose

$190 9% 45.4% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Clifton, NJ

$134 4.7%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 30% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Clifton, NJ

$70 2.5%

San Jose

$84 4% 21.2% $15

Getting Around

Clifton, NJ

$32 * 1.1%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 155% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,336 in Clifton, NJ 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 Clifton, NJ are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Clifton, NJ versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $468 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Clifton, NJ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

09:37 9:37 AM

1 h behind Clifton, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,606

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

Clifton, NJ San Jose 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Clifton, NJ
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

Clifton, NJ vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,835 in Clifton, NJ, $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,253 per month in Clifton, NJ 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 $1,336 in Clifton, NJ.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,835 in Clifton, NJ and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 26% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,772 per month in Clifton, NJ and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Clifton, NJ at $2,835. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Clifton, NJ 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, Clifton, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.