Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elizabeth, NJ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,203 in Elizabeth, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Elizabeth, NJ
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Elizabeth, NJ Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Elizabeth, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,203

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,203 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Elizabeth, NJ $3,203
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,457 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Elizabeth, NJ $4,457
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,710 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Elizabeth, NJ $5,710
San Jose $4,054

Living in Elizabeth, NJ is roughly 52% 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: Elizabeth, NJ 137% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 $19.92

$12.37 ₡5,563

61.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 $81.1

$62.4 ₡28.0K

29.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$11.71 ₡5,264

4.01%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$4.54 ₡2,040

23.57%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$2.75 ₡1,238

-10.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.86 ₡837

-17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.19 $8.19

$3.35 ₡1,505

144.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 $6.86

$4.32 ₡1,944

58.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$2.36 ₡1,061

-44.92%

White Bread (500g)

$4.53 $4.53

$3.07 ₡1,379

47.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$2.51 ₡1,128

143.82%

Eggs

$6.55 $6.55

$3.53 ₡1,585

85.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.60 $15.60

$10.54 ₡4,738

48.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.10 $10.10

$10.57 ₡4,754

-4.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.81 $19.81

$13.92 ₡6,261

42.31%

Apples (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$5.20 ₡2,338

18.46%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.65 ₡740

117.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$4.89 ₡2,198

-10.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$3.84 ₡1,728

34.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$3.91 ₡1,757

-19.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$3.76 ₡1,692

-17.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.12 ₡504

159.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.22 ₡1,447

-21.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.85 $14.85

$6.02 ₡2,706

146.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.81 ₡1,264

-0.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$3.65 ₡1,643

-9.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.08 ₡487

168.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 $77.9

$65.2 ₡29.3K

19.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.26 ₡1,018

32.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.78 ₡799

20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.65 $42.65

$7.90 ₡3,551

439.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.50 ₡673

-24.00%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-17.69%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.16%

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

$222 $222

$93.2 ₡41.9K

138.04%

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

$50.8 $50.8

$36.13 ₡16.2K

40.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 $50.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-17.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.22 $39.22

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-43.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$19.94 $19.94

$7.67 ₡3,449

159.97%

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

$1,726 $1,726

$972 ₡436.9K

77.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

8.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 $50.5

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-28.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.2 $76.2

$56.7 ₡25.5K

34.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$129 ₡57.8K

-31.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$131 ₡58.8K

-9.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 $2,111

$1,170 ₡525.9K

80.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 $1,745

$943 ₡424.1K

85.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,968 $2,968

$1,984 ₡892.0K

49.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 $2,477

$1,400 ₡629.5K

76.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,801 $2,801

$2,681 ₡1.2M

4.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,296 $2,296

$2,037 ₡915.8K

12.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,926 $3,926

$987 ₡443.6K

297.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

8.62

-22.04%

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

Last update for Elizabeth, NJ: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elizabeth, NJ

$1.7K 54.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 45.9% $802

Groceries & Markets

Elizabeth, NJ

$469 14.7%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 14.2% $67

Eating Out

Elizabeth, NJ

$334 10.4%

San Jose

$232 11% 30.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elizabeth, NJ

$323 10.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 41.2% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Elizabeth, NJ

$150 4.7%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 16.2% $24

Getting Around

Elizabeth, NJ

$103 3.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 21.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Elizabeth, NJ

$79 2.5%

San Jose

$84 4% 6.5% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,111 in Elizabeth, NJ and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elizabeth, NJ pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Elizabeth, NJ vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $469 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elizabeth, NJ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

15:45 3:45 PM

1 h behind Elizabeth, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,179

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elizabeth, NJ San Jose 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Elizabeth, NJ
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

Elizabeth, NJ vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,203 in Elizabeth, NJ and $2,107 in San Jose, so San Jose is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Elizabeth, NJ is about 4 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: $2,111 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,726 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Elizabeth, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,203 in Elizabeth, NJ, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Elizabeth, NJ. 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 34% less than in Elizabeth, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.