Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fairborn, OH and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,550 in Fairborn, OH, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Fairborn, OH outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

120

Cost of Living Index in Fairborn, OH
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Fairborn, OH Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Fairborn, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,550

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,550 in Fairborn, OH versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Fairborn, OH $2,550
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,690 in Fairborn, OH versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Fairborn, OH $3,690
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Fairborn, OH versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Fairborn, OH $4,831
San Jose $4,054

Living in Fairborn, OH is roughly 21% 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: Fairborn, OH 89% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.59 $14.59

$12.37 ₡5,563

17.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.7 $68.7

$62.4 ₡28.0K

10.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 $9.99

$11.71 ₡5,264

-14.69%

Cappuccino

$4.18 $4.18

$4.54 ₡2,040

-7.93%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$2.75 ₡1,238

-11.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.86 ₡837

-0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 $6.18

$3.35 ₡1,505

84.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$4.32 ₡1,944

88.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$2.36 ₡1,061

-68.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.07 ₡1,379

-7.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.51 ₡1,128

52.99%

Eggs

$3.72 $3.72

$3.53 ₡1,585

5.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.42 $12.42

$10.54 ₡4,738

17.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 $12.63

$10.57 ₡4,754

19.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.19 $17.19

$13.92 ₡6,261

23.49%

Apples (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$5.20 ₡2,338

8.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.65 ₡740

-7.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$4.89 ₡2,198

0.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$3.84 ₡1,728

12.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.91 ₡1,757

-36.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.76 ₡1,692

-24.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.12 ₡504

106.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$3.22 ₡1,447

-24.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.11 $10.11

$6.02 ₡2,706

67.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.49 $15.49

$19.84 ₡8,919

-21.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.81 ₡1,264

-38.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.65 ₡1,643

-3.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.08 ₡487

74.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.8 $61.8

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-5.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.26 ₡1,018

-13.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.78 ₡799

-1.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.87 $33.87

$7.90 ₡3,551

328.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.50 ₡673

-25.33%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-19.14%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.81%

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

$203 $203

$93.2 ₡41.9K

118.12%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$36.13 ₡16.2K

42.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 $59.1

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-2.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.40 $45.40

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-34.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.02 $14.02

$7.67 ₡3,449

82.79%

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

$542 $542

$972 ₡436.9K

-44.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K $11.0K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-41.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.35 $40.35

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-42.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.98 $43.98

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-22.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 $70.7

$129 ₡57.8K

-45.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$131 ₡58.8K

-6.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 $1,578

$1,170 ₡525.9K

34.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 $1,302

$943 ₡424.1K

38.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,620 $2,620

$1,984 ₡892.0K

32.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,108 $2,108

$1,400 ₡629.5K

50.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,253 $3,253

$2,681 ₡1.2M

21.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,296 $2,296

$2,037 ₡915.8K

12.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

8.62

-22.27%

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

Last update for Fairborn, OH: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fairborn, OH

$1.3K 51.1%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 27.6% $359

Groceries & Markets

Fairborn, OH

$395 15.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 2% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fairborn, OH

$314 12.3%

San Jose

$190 9% 39.5% $124

Eating Out

Fairborn, OH

$261 10.2%

San Jose

$232 11% 11% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Fairborn, OH

$125 4.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 39.4% $49

Getting Around

Fairborn, OH

$80 3.1%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 0.8% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Fairborn, OH

$73 2.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 14.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,578 in Fairborn, OH and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69 in Fairborn, OH vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $395 vs $403, with Fairborn, OH cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fairborn, OH

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

12:04 12:04 PM

1 h behind Fairborn, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,770

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

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Between locations

Fairborn, OH San Jose 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Fairborn, OH
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

Fairborn, OH vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,550 in Fairborn, OH and $2,107 in San Jose, so San Jose is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,825 in Fairborn, OH and $3,161 in San Jose to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,578 in Fairborn, OH versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $542 in Fairborn, OH versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $69 in Fairborn, OH. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,550 in Fairborn, OH, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Fairborn, OH. 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.