Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Plaines, IL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Des Plaines, IL
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Des Plaines, IL Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Des Plaines, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,073

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL versus $1,949 in San Jose.

Des Plaines, IL $3,073
San Jose $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,412 in Des Plaines, IL versus $2,903 in San Jose.

Des Plaines, IL $4,412
San Jose $2,903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,750 in Des Plaines, IL versus $3,857 in San Jose.

Des Plaines, IL $5,750
San Jose $3,857

Living in Des Plaines, IL is roughly 58% 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: Des Plaines, IL 129% above, San Jose 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.88 $20.88

$12.22 ₡5,510

70.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 $89.5

$60.1 ₡27.1K

48.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.87 $12.87

$11.77 ₡5,305

9.35%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$4.30 ₡1,939

31.40%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$2.72 ₡1,226

-4.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.84 ₡830

26.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.95 $6.95

$3.28 ₡1,480

111.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$4.36 ₡1,966

83.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.38 ₡1,074

-60.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.12 ₡1,408

11.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.41 ₡1,086

75.52%

Eggs

$4.16 $4.16

$3.47 ₡1,564

19.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.67 $14.67

$10.57 ₡4,767

38.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$10.56 ₡4,758

23.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.95 $18.95

$13.75 ₡6,196

37.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$5.04 ₡2,274

-5.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.61 ₡727

1.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$4.59 ₡2,069

-9.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$3.84 ₡1,731

25.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$3.77 ₡1,700

-29.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.76 ₡1,693

-27.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.12 ₡506

91.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.20 ₡1,441

-24.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 $10.65

$5.84 ₡2,632

82.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 $14.86

$19.73 ₡8,897

-24.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.75 ₡1,240

-7.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 $3.53

$3.66 ₡1,650

-3.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.12 ₡503

80.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 $60.8

$65.1 ₡29.4K

-6.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.46 ₡1,110

28.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.54 ₡692

-11.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.93 $24.93

$8.46 ₡3,815

194.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.55 ₡699

-32.26%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

65.53%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-28.82%

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

$195 $195

$94.7 ₡42.7K

105.88%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$35.11 ₡15.8K

72.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.2 $77.2

$58.6 ₡26.4K

31.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$125 $125

$72.2 ₡32.5K

72.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.72 $40.72

$25.19 ₡11.4K

61.65%

Cinema Ticket

$15.16 $15.16

$7.83 ₡3,532

93.61%

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

$1,545 $1,545

$971 ₡437.9K

59.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

38.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 $65.3

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-8.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-7.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$129 ₡58.2K

-21.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$133 ₡60.0K

-8.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 $2,093

$934 ₡420.9K

124.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 $1,521

$770 ₡347.2K

97.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,861 $3,861

$1,945 ₡876.7K

98.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,536 $2,536

$1,316 ₡593.5K

92.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,174 $3,174

$2,277 ₡1.0M

39.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,521 $2,521

$1,795 ₡809.1K

40.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,220 $6,220

$1,006 ₡453.5K

518.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

8.62

-21.46%

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

Last update for Des Plaines, IL: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Des Plaines, IL

$1.5K 50.6%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 49.4% $751

Groceries & Markets

Des Plaines, IL

$419 14%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 4.7% $20

Eating Out

Des Plaines, IL

$344 11.5%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 33.7% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Plaines, IL

$333 11.1%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 43.4% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Des Plaines, IL

$155 5.2%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 43.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Des Plaines, IL

$153 5.1%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 14.5% $22

Getting Around

Des Plaines, IL

$79 2.6%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 1.1% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL and $934 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Plaines, IL pays 518% 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: $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL vs $60.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $399 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Plaines, IL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

17:52 5:52 PM

1 h behind Des Plaines, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,675

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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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Highest

Between locations

Des Plaines, IL San Jose 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Des Plaines, IL
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

Des Plaines, IL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Des Plaines, IL and San Jose differ by about 58% in total monthly costs ($3,073 vs $1,949 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 518% higher in Des Plaines, IL, 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: $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL versus $934 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Des Plaines, IL. 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 $60.0 versus $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,949 in San Jose versus $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Des Plaines, IL. 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Des Plaines, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.