Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellicott City, MD and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,480 in Ellicott City, MD, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in Ellicott City, MD
Learn more

Ellicott City, MD Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Ellicott City, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,480

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,480 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $3,480
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,630 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $4,630
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,780 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $5,780
San Jose $4,054

Ellicott City, MD costs about 65% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ellicott City, MD and San Jose sit above the global median – Ellicott City, MD by 157%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.08 $18.08

$12.37 ₡5,563

46.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.5 $96.5

$62.4 ₡28.0K

54.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 $10.67

$11.71 ₡5,264

-8.88%

Cappuccino

$5.13 $5.13

$4.54 ₡2,040

13.00%

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

$3.49 $3.49

$2.75 ₡1,238

26.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.86 ₡837

44.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 $6.85

$3.35 ₡1,505

104.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.11 $8.11

$4.32 ₡1,944

87.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.36 ₡1,061

-48.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.07 ₡1,379

28.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.51 ₡1,128

52.19%

Eggs

$4.49 $4.49

$3.53 ₡1,585

27.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 $16.78

$10.54 ₡4,738

59.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$10.57 ₡4,754

23.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.33 $18.33

$13.92 ₡6,261

31.68%

Apples (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$5.20 ₡2,338

18.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.65 ₡740

-4.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$4.89 ₡2,198

-14.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.84 ₡1,728

8.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.91 ₡1,757

-43.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.76 ₡1,692

-27.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.12 ₡504

113.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$3.22 ₡1,447

-26.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 $13.50

$6.02 ₡2,706

124.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.66 $15.66

$19.84 ₡8,919

-21.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.81 ₡1,264

-4.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$3.65 ₡1,643

-13.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.26 ₡1,018

-18.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.78 ₡799

-22.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.05 $24.05

$7.90 ₡3,551

204.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.50 ₡673

-34.00%

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

$23.5K $23.5K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-29.93%

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

$24.2K $24.2K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-42.72%

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

$204 $204

$93.2 ₡41.9K

118.50%

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

$50.4 $50.4

$36.13 ₡16.2K

39.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.1 $81.1

$60.6 ₡27.2K

33.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$68.9 ₡31.0K

62.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.60 $14.60

$7.67 ₡3,449

90.35%

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

$1,975 $1,975

$972 ₡436.9K

103.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.7K $38.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

104.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 $53.1

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-24.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 $56.8

$56.7 ₡25.5K

0.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 $94.1

$129 ₡57.8K

-26.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$131 ₡58.8K

-15.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$1,170 ₡525.9K

112.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 $2,106

$943 ₡424.1K

123.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,041 $3,041

$1,984 ₡892.0K

53.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,677 $2,677

$1,400 ₡629.5K

91.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,641 $2,641

$2,037 ₡915.8K

29.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,067 $5,067

$987 ₡443.6K

413.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.9

8.62

-19.95%

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

Last update for Ellicott City, MD: 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

Ellicott City, MD

$2.1K 60.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 55.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Ellicott City, MD

$434 12.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 7.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ellicott City, MD

$335 9.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 43.3% $145

Eating Out

Ellicott City, MD

$313 9%

San Jose

$232 11% 25.8% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Ellicott City, MD

$141 4.1%

San Jose

$84 4% 40.4% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Ellicott City, MD

$141 4.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 23% $33

Getting Around

Ellicott City, MD

$8.8 * 0.3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 820% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,490 in Ellicott City, MD 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 Ellicott City, MD are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97 in Ellicott City, MD versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $434 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ellicott City, MD

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

11:43 11:43 AM

1 h behind Ellicott City, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,834

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 = 0.89 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ellicott City, MD San Jose 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ellicott City, MD
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

Ellicott City, MD vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ellicott City, MD is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,221 per month in Ellicott City, MD and $3,161 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $2,490 in Ellicott City, MD.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,480 in Ellicott City, MD and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 39% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,975 per month in Ellicott City, MD and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Ellicott City, MD at $3,480. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ellicott City, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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