Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denver, CO and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,060 in Denver, CO, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Denver, CO
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Denver, CO Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Denver, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,060

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,060 in Denver, CO versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Denver, CO $3,060
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,532 in Denver, CO versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Denver, CO $4,532
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,004 in Denver, CO versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Denver, CO $6,004
San Jose $4,054

Living in Denver, CO is roughly 45% 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: Denver, CO 126% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.69 $19.69

$12.37 ₡5,563

59.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 $84.5

$62.4 ₡28.0K

35.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$11.71 ₡5,264

1.11%

Cappuccino

$5.92 $5.92

$4.54 ₡2,040

30.40%

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

$2.90 $2.90

$2.75 ₡1,238

5.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.86 ₡837

22.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 $6.84

$3.35 ₡1,505

104.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.39 $7.39

$4.32 ₡1,944

71.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$2.36 ₡1,061

-50.85%

White Bread (500g)

$5.32 $5.32

$3.07 ₡1,379

73.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.53 $7.53

$2.51 ₡1,128

200.00%

Eggs

$4.69 $4.69

$3.53 ₡1,585

32.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.92 $16.92

$10.54 ₡4,738

60.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.09 $17.09

$10.57 ₡4,754

61.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.71 $18.71

$13.92 ₡6,261

34.41%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$5.20 ₡2,338

-2.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.65 ₡740

31.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$4.89 ₡2,198

-6.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$3.84 ₡1,728

38.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$3.91 ₡1,757

-39.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.76 ₡1,692

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.12 ₡504

102.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$3.22 ₡1,447

-20.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.76 $10.76

$6.02 ₡2,706

78.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.41 $19.41

$19.84 ₡8,919

-2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.81 ₡1,264

-1.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.65 ₡1,643

7.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.08 ₡487

155.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.9 $87.9

$65.2 ₡29.3K

34.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.26 ₡1,018

56.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.78 ₡799

-2.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.43 $30.43

$7.90 ₡3,551

285.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.50 ₡673

-30.00%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-8.25%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.27%

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

$164 $164

$93.2 ₡41.9K

75.54%

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

$77.7 $77.7

$36.13 ₡16.2K

115.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$60.6 ₡27.2K

14.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.2 $59.2

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-14.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.74 $24.74

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-0.80%

Cinema Ticket

$15.10 $15.10

$7.67 ₡3,449

96.87%

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

$2,281 $2,281

$972 ₡436.9K

134.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.6K $35.6K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

88.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.3 $69.3

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-1.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.23 $45.23

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-20.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$129 ₡57.8K

-19.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$131 ₡58.8K

2.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,846 $1,846

$1,170 ₡525.9K

57.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,555 $1,555

$943 ₡424.1K

64.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,368 $3,368

$1,984 ₡892.0K

69.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,602 $2,602

$1,400 ₡629.5K

85.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,502 $5,502

$2,681 ₡1.2M

105.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,497 $3,497

$2,037 ₡915.8K

71.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,429 $5,429

$987 ₡443.6K

450.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

8.62

-20.42%

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

Last update for Denver, CO: 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

Denver, CO

$1.6K 50.8%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 39.3% $611

Groceries & Markets

Denver, CO

$502 16.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 19.8% $100

Eating Out

Denver, CO

$334 10.9%

San Jose

$232 11% 30.4% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denver, CO

$310 10.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 38.8% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Denver, CO

$158 5.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 10% $16

Getting Around

Denver, CO

$111 3.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 27.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Denver, CO

$89 2.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 5.8% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,846 in Denver, CO and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denver, CO pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Denver, CO vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $502 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Denver, CO

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

02:51 2:51 AM

1 h ahead of Denver, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

715,522

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

Denver, CO San Jose 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Denver, 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

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

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Denver, CO. 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 Denver, CO is about 5.5 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: $1,846 in Denver, CO versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Denver, CO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $84 in Denver, CO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,060 in Denver, CO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Denver, CO. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Jose delivers better value at $2,107 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Jose hard to pass up.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Denver, CO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.