Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colorado Springs, CO and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,709 in Colorado Springs, CO, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Colorado Springs, CO
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Colorado Springs, CO Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Colorado Springs, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,709

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,709 in Colorado Springs, CO versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Colorado Springs, CO $2,709
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,232 in Colorado Springs, CO versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Colorado Springs, CO $4,232
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,755 in Colorado Springs, CO versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Colorado Springs, CO $5,755
San Jose $4,054

Living in Colorado Springs, CO is roughly 29% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Colorado Springs, CO 100% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.98 $19.98

$12.37 ₡5,563

61.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.1 $86.1

$62.4 ₡28.0K

38.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 $13.20

$11.71 ₡5,264

12.72%

Cappuccino

$5.44 $5.44

$4.54 ₡2,040

19.82%

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

$2.74 $2.74

$2.75 ₡1,238

-0.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.86 ₡837

19.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.35 ₡1,505

82.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.02 $7.02

$4.32 ₡1,944

62.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.36 ₡1,061

-58.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.07 ₡1,379

4.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$2.51 ₡1,128

69.32%

Eggs

$5.96 $5.96

$3.53 ₡1,585

68.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.68 $14.68

$10.54 ₡4,738

39.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.38 $13.38

$10.57 ₡4,754

26.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 $19.16

$13.92 ₡6,261

37.64%

Apples (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$5.20 ₡2,338

3.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.65 ₡740

-15.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$4.89 ₡2,198

-11.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$3.84 ₡1,728

26.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.91 ₡1,757

-35.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$3.76 ₡1,692

-30.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.12 ₡504

104.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$3.22 ₡1,447

-38.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.14 $10.14

$6.02 ₡2,706

68.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.05 $19.05

$19.84 ₡8,919

-3.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.81 ₡1,264

16.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.65 ₡1,643

27.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.08 ₡487

58.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.7 $63.7

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-2.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.26 ₡1,018

61.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.78 ₡799

-9.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.34 $25.34

$7.90 ₡3,551

220.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.50 ₡673

-30.00%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.75%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.47%

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

$202 $202

$93.2 ₡41.9K

116.68%

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

$93.4 $93.4

$36.13 ₡16.2K

158.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 $101

$60.6 ₡27.2K

67.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.13 $44.13

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-35.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.07 $34.07

$24.94 ₡11.2K

36.61%

Cinema Ticket

$14.72 $14.72

$7.67 ₡3,449

91.92%

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

$1,535 $1,535

$972 ₡436.9K

58.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K $21.2K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

12.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 $58.5

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-17.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 $35.36

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-37.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 $80.9

$129 ₡57.8K

-37.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$131 ₡58.8K

-22.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 $1,709

$1,170 ₡525.9K

46.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 $1,265

$943 ₡424.1K

34.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,854 $2,854

$1,984 ₡892.0K

43.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,548 $2,548

$1,400 ₡629.5K

81.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,783 $2,783

$2,681 ₡1.2M

3.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,320 $2,320

$2,037 ₡915.8K

13.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,276 $4,276

$987 ₡443.6K

333.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

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

Last update for Colorado Springs, CO: November 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colorado Springs, CO

$1.3K 46.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 25.5% $322

Groceries & Markets

Colorado Springs, CO

$438 16.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colorado Springs, CO

$397 14.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 52.1% $207

Eating Out

Colorado Springs, CO

$329 12.2%

San Jose

$232 11% 29.4% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Colorado Springs, CO

$124 4.6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 39.8% $50

Getting Around

Colorado Springs, CO

$82 3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 1.8% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Colorado Springs, CO

$74 2.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 14.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,709 in Colorado Springs, CO and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Colorado Springs, CO pays about 4.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $86 in Colorado Springs, CO vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $438 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Colorado Springs, CO

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:37 5:37 PM

18:37 6:37 PM

1 h ahead of Colorado Springs, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

478,961

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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 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

Colorado Springs, CO San Jose 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Colorado Springs, 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

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

San Jose is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Colorado Springs, CO is about 4.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,709 in Colorado Springs, CO versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,535 in Colorado Springs, CO versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $86 in Colorado Springs, CO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,709 in Colorado Springs, CO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Colorado Springs, CO. 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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Colorado Springs, CO on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.