Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Concord, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $3,079 in Concord, CA, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

151

Cost of Living Index in Concord, CA
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Concord, CA Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Concord, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,079

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,079 in Concord, CA versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Concord, CA $3,079
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,627 in Concord, CA versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Concord, CA $4,627
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,175 in Concord, CA versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Concord, CA $6,175
San Jose $3,934

Living in Concord, CA is roughly 59% 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: Concord, CA 128% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.98 $24.98

$12.38 ₡5,551

101.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 $79.0

$60.9 ₡27.3K

29.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.14 $15.14

$11.45 ₡5,135

32.23%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$4.39 ₡1,967

36.22%

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

$3.27 $3.27

$2.70 ₡1,211

21.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.93 ₡864

35.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.03 $9.03

$3.20 ₡1,433

182.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 $8.23

$4.41 ₡1,979

86.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.44 ₡1,093

-45.90%

White Bread (500g)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.05 ₡1,369

41.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.41 ₡1,081

95.02%

Eggs

$5.53 $5.53

$3.40 ₡1,523

62.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.74 $24.74

$10.75 ₡4,823

130.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.65 $11.65

$10.43 ₡4,679

11.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$13.99 ₡6,273

-5.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$5.25 ₡2,353

2.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.59 ₡712

59.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$4.69 ₡2,103

1.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$3.95 ₡1,770

48.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.92 ₡1,760

-13.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.68 ₡1,651

4.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.12 ₡503

119.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.19 ₡1,429

-17.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.56 $7.56

$6.00 ₡2,692

26.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.82 $12.82

$19.56 ₡8,771

-34.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.82 ₡1,263

-29.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.59 ₡1,611

-31.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.12 ₡503

122.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 $59.4

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-11.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.50 ₡1,119

38.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.63 ₡733

17.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.88 $39.88

$8.50 ₡3,812

369.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.56 ₡701

-5.77%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

34.57%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-25.40%

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

$139 $139

$95.2 ₡42.7K

46.06%

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

$43.06 $43.06

$35.58 ₡16.0K

21.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.6 $63.6

$58.6 ₡26.3K

8.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.4 $98.4

$72.7 ₡32.6K

35.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$14.83 $14.83

$7.58 ₡3,401

95.65%

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

$2,270 $2,270

$1,001 ₡449.0K

126.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

40.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 $51.5

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-26.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.78 $40.78

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-26.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 $73.9

$130 ₡58.2K

-43.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.0 $61.0

$131 ₡58.7K

-53.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,315 $2,315

$927 ₡415.8K

149.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 $1,658

$774 ₡347.2K

114.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,534 $3,534

$1,967 ₡882.0K

79.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,968 $2,968

$1,288 ₡577.6K

130.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,847 $4,847

$1,016 ₡455.8K

376.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

8.62

-22.74%

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

Last update for Concord, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Concord, CA

$1.7K 53.9%

San Jose

$774 40% 53.3% $884

Groceries & Markets

Concord, CA

$460 14.9%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 12.8% $59

Eating Out

Concord, CA

$402 13.1%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 43% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Concord, CA

$246 8%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 22.9% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Concord, CA

$128 4.2%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 31.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Concord, CA

$102 3.3%

San Jose

$174 9% 70.3% $72

Getting Around

Concord, CA

$82 2.7%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 0.4% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,315 in Concord, CA and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Concord, CA pays 377% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Concord, CA vs $61.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $460 vs $401 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Concord, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

1 h ahead of Concord, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,695

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Concord, CA San Jose 4,900 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Concord, CA
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

Concord, CA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Concord, CA and San Jose differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($3,079 vs $1,938 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 377% higher in Concord, CA, 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: $2,315 in Concord, CA versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $79.0 in Concord, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,079 per month in Concord, CA versus $1,938 in San Jose – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $3,079 in Concord, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Concord, CA. 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.

Safety-wise, Concord, CA and San Jose are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Concord, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.