Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fairbanks, AK and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,975 in Fairbanks, AK, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Fairbanks, AK
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Fairbanks, AK Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Fairbanks, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,975

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,975 per month in Fairbanks, AK vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Fairbanks, AK $2,975
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $4,357 per month in Fairbanks, AK vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Fairbanks, AK $4,357
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $5,739 per month in Fairbanks, AK vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Fairbanks, AK $5,739
San Jose $3,857

Fairbanks, AK costs about 53% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fairbanks, AK and San Jose sit above the global median – Fairbanks, AK by 122%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.15 $25.15

$12.22 ₡5,510

105.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$60.1 ₡27.1K

69.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.25 $15.25

$11.77 ₡5,305

29.57%

Cappuccino

$6.12 $6.12

$4.30 ₡1,939

42.33%

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

$2.74 $2.74

$2.72 ₡1,226

0.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.84 ₡830

5.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 $6.79

$3.28 ₡1,480

107.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.36 ₡1,966

125.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.38 ₡1,074

-52.52%

White Bread (500g)

$5.37 $5.37

$3.12 ₡1,408

72.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.41 ₡1,086

94.19%

Eggs

$4.23 $4.23

$3.47 ₡1,564

21.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.64 $21.64

$10.57 ₡4,767

104.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 $9.08

$10.56 ₡4,758

-14.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.45 $20.45

$13.75 ₡6,196

48.73%

Apples (1kg)

$7.64 $7.64

$5.04 ₡2,274

51.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.61 ₡727

29.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$4.59 ₡2,069

28.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$3.84 ₡1,731

60.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.70 $3.70

$3.77 ₡1,700

-1.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.76 ₡1,693

-3.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.12 ₡506

145.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.20 ₡1,441

-39.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.17 $12.17

$5.84 ₡2,632

108.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.01 $12.01

$19.73 ₡8,897

-39.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.75 ₡1,240

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.12 ₡503

37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.97 $39.97

$65.1 ₡29.4K

-38.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.46 ₡1,110

46.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.54 ₡692

38.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.48 $45.48

$8.46 ₡3,815

437.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.55 ₡699

-17.42%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

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

$209 $209

$94.7 ₡42.7K

121.13%

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

$63.2 $63.2

$35.11 ₡15.8K

79.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$142 $142

$58.6 ₡26.4K

142.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.7 $98.7

$72.2 ₡32.5K

36.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$18.05 $18.05

$7.83 ₡3,532

130.52%

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

$1,826 $1,826

$971 ₡437.9K

87.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 $59.1

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-17.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.69 $40.69

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-25.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$129 ₡58.2K

-7.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$133 ₡60.0K

-10.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 $1,596

$934 ₡420.9K

70.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 $1,379

$770 ₡347.2K

79.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,605 $2,605

$1,945 ₡876.7K

33.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,197 $2,197

$1,316 ₡593.5K

66.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,984 $1,984

$2,277 ₡1.0M

-12.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,029 $2,029

$1,795 ₡809.1K

13.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,943 $3,943

$1,006 ₡453.5K

291.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.71

8.62

-22.16%

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

Last update for Fairbanks, AK: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fairbanks, AK

$1.4K 46%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 44.1% $609

Groceries & Markets

Fairbanks, AK

$463 * 15.5%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 13.8% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fairbanks, AK

$415 13.8%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 54.6% $226

Eating Out

Fairbanks, AK

$393 13.1%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 41.9% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Fairbanks, AK

$152 5.1%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 15.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Fairbanks, AK

$135 4.5%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 34.8% $47

Getting Around

Fairbanks, AK

$60 2%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 32% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,596 in Fairbanks, AK versus $934 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 292% higher in Fairbanks, AK, 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 $102 in Fairbanks, AK versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $463 vs $399 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fairbanks, AK

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

20:03 8:03 PM

2 h ahead of Fairbanks, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,515

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fairbanks, AK San Jose 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Fairbanks, AK
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

Fairbanks, AK vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Fairbanks, AK is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,462 per month in Fairbanks, AK and $2,924 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.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Fairbanks, AK, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Fairbanks, AK and $60.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in Fairbanks, AK at $2,975. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fairbanks, AK 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fairbanks, AK makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.