Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dayton, OH and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,186 in Dayton, OH, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Dayton, OH
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Dayton, OH Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Dayton, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,186

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,186 in Dayton, OH versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Dayton, OH $2,186
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,230 in Dayton, OH versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Dayton, OH $3,230
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,274 in Dayton, OH versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Dayton, OH $4,274
San Jose $4,054

Living in Dayton, OH is roughly 4% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dayton, OH 62% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.24 $14.24

$12.37 ₡5,563

15.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.4 $69.4

$62.4 ₡28.0K

11.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.04 $10.04

$11.71 ₡5,264

-14.26%

Cappuccino

$4.04 $4.04

$4.54 ₡2,040

-11.01%

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

$2.23 $2.23

$2.75 ₡1,238

-18.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.86 ₡837

-2.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.35 ₡1,505

33.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.92 $5.92

$4.32 ₡1,944

37.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$2.36 ₡1,061

-68.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$3.07 ₡1,379

-9.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.51 ₡1,128

48.61%

Eggs

$3.65 $3.65

$3.53 ₡1,585

3.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.71 $13.71

$10.54 ₡4,738

30.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$25.02 $25.02

$10.57 ₡4,754

136.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.20 $17.20

$13.92 ₡6,261

23.56%

Apples (1kg)

$5.98 $5.98

$5.20 ₡2,338

15.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.65 ₡740

13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.91 $6.91

$4.89 ₡2,198

41.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$3.84 ₡1,728

39.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$3.91 ₡1,757

-31.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.76 ₡1,692

-19.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.12 ₡504

98.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$3.22 ₡1,447

-15.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.98 $9.98

$6.02 ₡2,706

65.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.14 $19.14

$19.84 ₡8,919

-3.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.81 ₡1,264

-39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.65 ₡1,643

-6.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.08 ₡487

204.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.0 $59.0

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-9.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.26 ₡1,018

124.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.78 ₡799

5.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.83 $49.83

$7.90 ₡3,551

530.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.50 ₡673

-27.33%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-17.94%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.82%

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

$200 $200

$93.2 ₡41.9K

114.68%

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

$51.6 $51.6

$36.13 ₡16.2K

42.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 $57.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-5.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.02 $32.02

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-53.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.46 $44.46

$24.94 ₡11.2K

78.27%

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 $14.52

$7.67 ₡3,449

89.31%

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

$532 $532

$972 ₡436.9K

-45.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K $10.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-42.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.50 $40.50

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-42.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.67 $48.67

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-14.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 $70.9

$129 ₡57.8K

-44.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$131 ₡58.8K

-7.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 $1,292

$1,170 ₡525.9K

10.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 $873

$943 ₡424.1K

-7.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,878 $1,878

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-5.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,331 $1,331

$1,400 ₡629.5K

-4.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,215 $2,215

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-17.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,314 $1,314

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-35.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,540 $3,540

$987 ₡443.6K

258.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

8.62

-21.81%

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

Last update for Dayton, OH: 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

Dayton, OH

$873 39.9%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 8% $70

Groceries & Markets

Dayton, OH

$487 22.3%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 17.4% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dayton, OH

$309 14.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 38.5% $119

Eating Out

Dayton, OH

$243 11.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 4.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Dayton, OH

$126 5.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 37.8% $48

Getting Around

Dayton, OH

$87 4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 6.8% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Dayton, OH

$61 2.8%

San Jose

$84 4% 38% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,292 in Dayton, OH and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dayton, OH pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Dayton, OH vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $487 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dayton, OH

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

13:14 1:14 PM

12:14 12:14 PM

1 h behind Dayton, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

156,771

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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Between locations

Dayton, OH San Jose 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dayton, OH
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

Dayton, OH vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Dayton, OH. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Dayton, OH is about 3.6 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: $1,292 in Dayton, OH versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,186 per month in Dayton, OH versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Dayton, OH runs roughly 10% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though San Jose gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Dayton, OH on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.