Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellensburg, WA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,373 in Ellensburg, WA, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ellensburg, WA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Ellensburg, WA
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Ellensburg, WA Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Ellensburg, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,373

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,373 per month in Ellensburg, WA vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Ellensburg, WA $2,373
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $3,450 per month in Ellensburg, WA vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Ellensburg, WA $3,450
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $4,527 per month in Ellensburg, WA vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Ellensburg, WA $4,527
San Jose $3,934

Ellensburg, WA costs about 22% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ellensburg, WA and San Jose sit above the global median – Ellensburg, WA by 76%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.04 $15.04

$12.38 ₡5,551

21.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$60.9 ₡27.3K

21.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.93 $11.93

$11.45 ₡5,135

4.19%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$4.39 ₡1,967

19.13%

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

$1.53 $1.53

$2.70 ₡1,211

-43.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.93 ₡864

-37.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.96 $4.96

$3.20 ₡1,433

55.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 $5.96

$4.41 ₡1,979

35.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.44 ₡1,093

-59.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$3.05 ₡1,369

-8.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.41 ₡1,081

93.78%

Eggs

$4.23 $4.23

$3.40 ₡1,523

24.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 $15.58

$10.75 ₡4,823

44.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 $6.53

$10.43 ₡4,679

-37.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.85 $13.85

$13.99 ₡6,273

-1.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$5.25 ₡2,353

-8.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.59 ₡712

-9.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$4.69 ₡2,103

-9.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.95 ₡1,770

0.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$3.92 ₡1,760

-61.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.68 ₡1,651

-39.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.12 ₡503

82.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$3.19 ₡1,429

-42.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.83 $9.83

$6.00 ₡2,692

63.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.86 $13.86

$19.56 ₡8,771

-29.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$2.82 ₡1,263

-35.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 $4.96

$3.59 ₡1,611

38.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.12 ₡503

80.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.50 ₡1,119

102.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.63 ₡733

7.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.36 $40.36

$8.50 ₡3,812

374.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.56 ₡701

-30.77%

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

$32.0K $32.0K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

42.79%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-26.37%

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

$152 $152

$95.2 ₡42.7K

59.58%

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

$39.44 $39.44

$35.58 ₡16.0K

10.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$58.6 ₡26.3K

18.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.32 $42.32

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-41.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 $15.73

$7.58 ₡3,401

107.52%

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

$1,360 $1,360

$1,001 ₡449.0K

35.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K $21.8K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

27.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.99 $34.99

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-50.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.67 $34.67

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-37.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$130 ₡58.2K

-16.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.70 $40.70

$131 ₡58.7K

-68.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 $1,571

$927 ₡415.8K

69.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 $1,302

$774 ₡347.2K

68.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,528 $2,528

$1,967 ₡882.0K

28.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 $2,111

$1,288 ₡577.6K

63.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,525 $4,525

$2,274 ₡1.0M

98.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,445 $4,445

$1,831 ₡821.0K

142.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,770 $1,770

$1,016 ₡455.8K

74.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

8.62

-24.59%

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

Last update for Ellensburg, WA: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ellensburg, WA

$1.3K 54.9%

San Jose

$774 40% 40.5% $528

Groceries & Markets

Ellensburg, WA

$350 14.7%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 14.7% $51

Eating Out

Ellensburg, WA

$267 11.2%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 14% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ellensburg, WA

$261 11%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 27.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Ellensburg, WA

$98 4.1%

San Jose

$174 9% 77.2% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Ellensburg, WA

$74 3.1%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 19.1% $14

Getting Around

Ellensburg, WA

$22 * 0.9%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 274% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,571 in Ellensburg, WA versus $927 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 run about 74% higher in Ellensburg, WA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Ellensburg, WA versus $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Ellensburg, WA vs $401 in San Jose – so Ellensburg, WA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ellensburg, WA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

1 h ahead of Ellensburg, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,666

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Between locations

Ellensburg, WA San Jose 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ellensburg, WA
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

Ellensburg, WA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ellensburg, WA costs about 22% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,559 per month in Ellensburg, WA and $2,907 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Ellensburg, WA and $61.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Ellensburg, WA – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,938, than in Ellensburg, WA at $2,373. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ellensburg, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $1,938 versus $2,373 in Ellensburg, WA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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