Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dearborn, MI and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,623 in Dearborn, MI, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Dearborn, MI
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Dearborn, MI Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Dearborn, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,623

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,623 per month in Dearborn, MI vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Dearborn, MI $2,623
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,775 per month in Dearborn, MI vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Dearborn, MI $3,775
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,927 per month in Dearborn, MI vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Dearborn, MI $4,927
San Jose $4,054

Dearborn, MI costs about 24% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dearborn, MI and San Jose sit above the global median – Dearborn, MI by 94%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.09 $18.09

$12.37 ₡5,563

46.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 $63.4

$62.4 ₡28.0K

1.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 $11.10

$11.71 ₡5,264

-5.21%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$4.54 ₡2,040

22.25%

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

$2.58 $2.58

$2.75 ₡1,238

-6.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.86 ₡837

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 $6.06

$3.35 ₡1,505

80.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.17 $8.17

$4.32 ₡1,944

89.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$2.36 ₡1,061

-62.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.07 ₡1,379

9.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.51 ₡1,128

65.34%

Eggs

$3.81 $3.81

$3.53 ₡1,585

7.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.74 $13.74

$10.54 ₡4,738

30.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$10.57 ₡4,754

5.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.27 $16.27

$13.92 ₡6,261

16.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$5.20 ₡2,338

-2.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.65 ₡740

-2.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$4.89 ₡2,198

-15.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.84 ₡1,728

-1.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$3.91 ₡1,757

-34.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.76 ₡1,692

-20.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.12 ₡504

104.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$3.22 ₡1,447

-30.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 $10.17

$6.02 ₡2,706

68.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.81 ₡1,264

-12.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.65 ₡1,643

-4.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.08 ₡487

79.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.3 $63.3

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-2.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.26 ₡1,018

21.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.78 ₡799

-23.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.76 $23.76

$7.90 ₡3,551

200.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.50 ₡673

-27.33%

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

$33.6K $33.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

0.51%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.38%

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

$215 $215

$93.2 ₡41.9K

131.07%

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

$60.4 $60.4

$36.13 ₡16.2K

67.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$60.6 ₡27.2K

12.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.36 $39.36

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-42.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$12.60 $12.60

$7.67 ₡3,449

64.28%

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

$1,235 $1,235

$972 ₡436.9K

27.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K $31.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

68.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 $60.2

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-14.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.19 $41.19

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-27.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 $95.5

$129 ₡57.8K

-25.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$131 ₡58.8K

-9.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 $1,568

$1,170 ₡525.9K

34.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 $1,292

$943 ₡424.1K

37.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,612 $2,612

$1,984 ₡892.0K

31.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 $2,085

$1,400 ₡629.5K

48.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,897 $1,897

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-29.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,925 $1,925

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-5.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,749 $3,749

$987 ₡443.6K

279.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

8.62

-24.71%

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

Last update for Dearborn, MI: 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

Dearborn, MI

$1.3K 49.3%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 27% $349

Groceries & Markets

Dearborn, MI

$390 14.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 3.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dearborn, MI

$344 13.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 44.8% $154

Eating Out

Dearborn, MI

$309 11.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 24.9% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Dearborn, MI

$142 5.4%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 22.4% $32

Getting Around

Dearborn, MI

$81 3.1%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 0% $0

Sport & Entertainment

Dearborn, MI

$65 2.5%

San Jose

$84 4% 30.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,568 in Dearborn, MI 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 Dearborn, MI are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Dearborn, MI versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $390 in Dearborn, MI vs $403 in San Jose – so Dearborn, MI wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dearborn, MI

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

01:11 1:11 AM

1 h behind Dearborn, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,382

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 = 0.891 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

Dearborn, MI San Jose 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dearborn, MI
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

Dearborn, MI vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dearborn, MI is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,935 per month in Dearborn, MI 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 $1,568 in Dearborn, MI.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Dearborn, MI. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Dearborn, MI – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Dearborn, MI at $2,623. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dearborn, MI 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, Dearborn, MI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.