Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Effingham, IL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,500 in Effingham, IL, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Effingham, IL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

121

Cost of Living Index in Effingham, IL
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Effingham, IL Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Effingham, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,500

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,500 in Effingham, IL versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Effingham, IL $2,500
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,556 in Effingham, IL versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Effingham, IL $3,556
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,612 in Effingham, IL versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Effingham, IL $4,612
San Jose $3,929

Living in Effingham, IL is roughly 30% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Effingham, IL 84% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.06 $15.06

$12.29 ₡5,513

22.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.89 $44.89

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-27.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 $11.95

$11.53 ₡5,171

3.64%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$4.35 ₡1,953

27.13%

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

$3.21 $3.21

$2.64 ₡1,183

21.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.86 ₡836

43.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.32 ₡1,490

52.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 $7.04

$4.52 ₡2,026

55.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$2.39 ₡1,073

-62.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.08 ₡1,381

10.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.50 ₡1,119

79.20%

Eggs

$3.67 $3.67

$3.48 ₡1,562

5.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 $12.49

$10.74 ₡4,815

16.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$10.32 ₡4,629

4.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.77 $16.77

$14.10 ₡6,325

18.94%

Apples (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$5.03 ₡2,256

13.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.59 ₡714

-8.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$4.84 ₡2,171

-2.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.96 ₡1,776

10.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.76 ₡1,684

-40.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$3.73 ₡1,674

-71.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.08 ₡485

126.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$3.25 ₡1,456

-25.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 $10.84

$5.86 ₡2,627

84.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 $11.88

$20.28 ₡9,095

-41.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.90 ₡1,300

-31.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.73 ₡1,673

-2.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.08 ₡486

70.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.50 ₡1,123

-22.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.63 ₡732

7.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.78 $33.78

$8.71 ₡3,904

287.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.58 ₡709

-37.34%

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

$30.1K $30.1K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-10.45%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-37.12%

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

$229 $229

$93.7 ₡42.0K

144.99%

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

$44.95 $44.95

$35.42 ₡15.9K

26.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 $65.4

$60.0 ₡26.9K

9.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.33 $41.33

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-43.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$7.74 ₡3,471

93.54%

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

$1,729 $1,729

$1,005 ₡450.9K

71.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

42.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.09 $45.09

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-38.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.03 $35.03

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-36.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 $85.7

$128 ₡57.5K

-33.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.2 $65.2

$130 ₡58.5K

-50.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 $1,628

$932 ₡418.0K

74.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 $1,297

$760 ₡340.8K

70.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 $2,487

$1,922 ₡862.0K

29.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,146 $2,146

$1,276 ₡572.1K

68.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,804 $2,804

$2,301 ₡1.0M

21.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,326 $2,326

$1,833 ₡821.9K

26.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Effingham, IL: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Effingham, IL

$1.3K 51.9%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 41.4% $537

Groceries & Markets

Effingham, IL

$384 15.4%

San Jose

$403 21% 4.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Effingham, IL

$340 13.6%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 44.4% $151

Eating Out

Effingham, IL

$285 11.4%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 19.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Effingham, IL

$104 4.2%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 67.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Effingham, IL

$71 2.9%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 23.5% $17

Getting Around

Effingham, IL

$18 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 344% $62

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,628 in Effingham, IL and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Effingham, IL vs $62.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $403 per month, with Effingham, IL cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Effingham, IL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:46 3:46 PM

14:46 2:46 PM

1 h behind Effingham, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,447

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Effingham, IL San Jose 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Effingham, 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

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

Effingham, IL and San Jose differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,500 vs $1,924 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,750 in Effingham, IL and $2,886 in San Jose to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,628 in Effingham, IL versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Effingham, IL pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,500 per month in Effingham, IL versus $1,924 in San Jose – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,500 in Effingham, IL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Effingham, 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 30% less than in Effingham, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.