Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Paso, TX and San Jose

For one person, living costs are similar in El Paso, TX and in San Jose: $2,125 and $2,107 a month, rent and utilities included.

102

Cost of Living Index in El Paso, TX
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El Paso, TX Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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El Paso, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,125

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,125 per month in El Paso, TX vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

El Paso, TX $2,125
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,167 per month in El Paso, TX vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

El Paso, TX $3,167
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,209 per month in El Paso, TX vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

El Paso, TX $4,209
San Jose $4,054

El Paso, TX and San Jose have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both El Paso, TX and San Jose sit above the global median – El Paso, TX by 57%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.86 $18.86

$12.37 ₡5,563

52.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 $77.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

23.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.91 $11.91

$11.71 ₡5,264

1.71%

Cappuccino

$6.06 $6.06

$4.54 ₡2,040

33.48%

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

$2.37 $2.37

$2.75 ₡1,238

-13.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.86 ₡837

-13.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.35 ₡1,505

83.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$4.32 ₡1,944

60.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$2.36 ₡1,061

-65.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.07 ₡1,379

-6.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.51 ₡1,128

-0.80%

Eggs

$3.48 $3.48

$3.53 ₡1,585

-1.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.79 $11.79

$10.54 ₡4,738

11.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 $11.70

$10.57 ₡4,754

10.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 $12.69

$13.92 ₡6,261

-8.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$5.20 ₡2,338

-30.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.65 ₡740

-10.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$4.89 ₡2,198

-49.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.84 ₡1,728

-6.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.91 ₡1,757

-45.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.76 ₡1,692

-26.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.12 ₡504

64.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$3.22 ₡1,447

-51.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.23 $10.23

$6.02 ₡2,706

69.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.46 $9.46

$19.84 ₡8,919

-52.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.81 ₡1,264

-25.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.65 ₡1,643

34.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.08 ₡487

35.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.84 $48.84

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-25.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.26 ₡1,018

-24.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.78 ₡799

-23.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.31 $27.31

$7.90 ₡3,551

245.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.50 ₡673

-36.00%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-18.06%

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)

$163 $163

$93.2 ₡41.9K

75.38%

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

$72.6 $72.6

$36.13 ₡16.2K

100.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 $69.0

$60.6 ₡27.2K

13.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.03 $18.03

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-73.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.43 $8.43

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-66.20%

Cinema Ticket

$11.99 $11.99

$7.67 ₡3,449

56.32%

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

$699 $699

$972 ₡436.9K

-28.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K $11.6K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-38.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.52 $45.52

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-35.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.91 $35.91

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-36.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$129 ₡57.8K

-20.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 $177

$131 ₡58.8K

35.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 $1,072

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-8.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 $908

$943 ₡424.1K

-3.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 $1,575

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-20.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,471 $1,471

$1,400 ₡629.5K

5.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 $1,930

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-28.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 $1,702

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-16.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,348 $3,348

$987 ₡443.6K

239.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for El Paso, TX: November 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Paso, TX

$908 42.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 3.9% $36

Groceries & Markets

El Paso, TX

$325 15.3%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 23.9% $78

Eating Out

El Paso, TX

$320 15.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 27.4% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Paso, TX

$305 14.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 37.7% $115

Clothing & Footwear

El Paso, TX

$162 7.6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 7.4% $12

Getting Around

El Paso, TX

$63 3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 27.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

El Paso, TX

$42 2%

San Jose

$84 4% 101% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,072 in El Paso, TX 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 El Paso, TX are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in El Paso, TX versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $325 in El Paso, TX vs $403 in San Jose – so El Paso, TX wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Paso, TX

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

20:49 8:49 PM

21:49 9:49 PM

1 h ahead of El Paso, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

678,815

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

El Paso, TX San Jose 3,350 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

El Paso, TX
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

El Paso, TX vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,187 per month in El Paso, TX and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,072 in El Paso, TX and $1,170 in San Jose. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in El Paso, TX and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 25% less in El Paso, TX. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,125 in El Paso, TX and $2,107 in San Jose, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,125 in El Paso, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, El Paso, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.