Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between College Park, MD and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,372 in College Park, MD, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in College Park, MD outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

161

Cost of Living Index in College Park, MD
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College Park, MD Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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College Park, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,372

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,372 per month in College Park, MD vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

College Park, MD $3,372
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,595 per month in College Park, MD vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

College Park, MD $4,595
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,818 per month in College Park, MD vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

College Park, MD $5,818
San Jose $4,054

College Park, MD costs about 60% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both College Park, MD and San Jose sit above the global median – College Park, MD by 149%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.72 $15.72

$12.37 ₡5,563

27.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 $69.6

$62.4 ₡28.0K

11.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.97 $9.97

$11.71 ₡5,264

-14.86%

Cappuccino

$4.51 $4.51

$4.54 ₡2,040

-0.66%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$2.75 ₡1,238

-2.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.86 ₡837

-6.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 $6.64

$3.35 ₡1,505

98.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.92 $5.92

$4.32 ₡1,944

37.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$2.36 ₡1,061

-63.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 $2.61

$3.07 ₡1,379

-14.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.51 ₡1,128

125.10%

Eggs

$2.07 $2.07

$3.53 ₡1,585

-41.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.63 $6.63

$10.54 ₡4,738

-37.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$10.57 ₡4,754

-39.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.47 $20.47

$13.92 ₡6,261

47.05%

Apples (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$5.20 ₡2,338

29.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.65 ₡740

78.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 $7.25

$4.89 ₡2,198

48.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$3.84 ₡1,728

43.75%

Potato (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$3.91 ₡1,757

24.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.76 ₡1,692

-11.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.12 ₡504

-8.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$3.22 ₡1,447

-0.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.69 $9.69

$6.02 ₡2,706

60.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.80 $11.80

$19.84 ₡8,919

-40.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.81 ₡1,264

-39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$3.65 ₡1,643

1.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.08 ₡487

173.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.26 ₡1,018

119.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.78 ₡799

-10.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.18 $25.18

$7.90 ₡3,551

218.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.50 ₡673

-34.67%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-8.28%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.23%

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

$243 $243

$93.2 ₡41.9K

160.62%

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

$50.4 $50.4

$36.13 ₡16.2K

39.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$60.6 ₡27.2K

12.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.47 $39.47

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-42.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$7.67 ₡3,449

94.65%

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

$1,982 $1,982

$972 ₡436.9K

103.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K $32.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

73.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.58 $47.58

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-32.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.92 $31.92

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-43.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$129 ₡57.8K

-8.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$131 ₡58.8K

2.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,325 $2,325

$1,170 ₡525.9K

98.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,105 $2,105

$943 ₡424.1K

123.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,620 $3,620

$1,984 ₡892.0K

82.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,090 $3,090

$1,400 ₡629.5K

120.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,451 $6,451

$987 ₡443.6K

553.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.23

8.62

-27.73%

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

Last update for College Park, MD: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

College Park, MD

$2.1K 62.4%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 55.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

College Park, MD

$390 11.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 3.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

College Park, MD

$362 10.7%

San Jose

$190 9% 47.5% $172

Eating Out

College Park, MD

$272 8.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 14.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

College Park, MD

$149 4.4%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 16.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

College Park, MD

$69 2.1%

San Jose

$84 4% 21.5% $15

Getting Around

College Park, MD

$25 * 0.7%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 226% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,325 in College Park, MD 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 College Park, MD are about 6.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in College Park, MD versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $390 in College Park, MD vs $403 in San Jose – so College Park, MD wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 College Park, MD

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

13:43 1:43 PM

1 h behind College Park, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,740

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

College Park, MD San Jose 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

College Park, MD
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

College Park, MD vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,372 in College Park, MD, $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,059 per month in College Park, MD 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 $2,325 in College Park, MD.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,372 in College Park, MD and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 38% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,982 per month in College Park, MD 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 College Park, MD at $3,372. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in College Park, MD 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, College Park, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.