Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fallston, MD and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,659 in Fallston, MD, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Fallston, MD
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Fallston, MD Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Fallston, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,659

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,659 in Fallston, MD versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Fallston, MD $2,659
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,937 in Fallston, MD versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Fallston, MD $3,937
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,216 in Fallston, MD versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Fallston, MD $5,216
San Jose $4,054

Living in Fallston, MD is roughly 26% 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: Fallston, MD 97% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 $20.23

$12.37 ₡5,563

63.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$62.4 ₡28.0K

19.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 $11.94

$11.71 ₡5,264

1.96%

Cappuccino

$5.27 $5.27

$4.54 ₡2,040

16.08%

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

$2.50 $2.50

$2.75 ₡1,238

-9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.86 ₡837

2.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.43 $6.43

$3.35 ₡1,505

91.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.74 $7.74

$4.32 ₡1,944

79.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.36 ₡1,061

-54.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.67 $3.67

$3.07 ₡1,379

19.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.51 ₡1,128

75.30%

Eggs

$4.10 $4.10

$3.53 ₡1,585

16.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.18 $14.18

$10.54 ₡4,738

34.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.73 $11.73

$10.57 ₡4,754

10.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.14 $17.14

$13.92 ₡6,261

23.13%

Apples (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$5.20 ₡2,338

-1.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.65 ₡740

-4.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$4.89 ₡2,198

-9.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.84 ₡1,728

19.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.91 ₡1,757

-26.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$3.76 ₡1,692

-22.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.12 ₡504

94.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$3.22 ₡1,447

-29.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.30 $9.30

$6.02 ₡2,706

54.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 $15.26

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.81 ₡1,264

-29.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 $3.88

$3.65 ₡1,643

6.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.08 ₡487

88.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.6 $66.6

$65.2 ₡29.3K

2.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.26 ₡1,018

61.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.78 ₡799

-14.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 $31.39

$7.90 ₡3,551

297.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.50 ₡673

-28.67%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-28.10%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.50%

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

$177 $177

$93.2 ₡41.9K

89.66%

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

$55.2 $55.2

$36.13 ₡16.2K

52.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.7 $60.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

0.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.93 $43.93

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-36.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$12.44 $12.44

$7.67 ₡3,449

62.19%

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

$1,476 $1,476

$972 ₡436.9K

51.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K $20.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

9.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.55 $48.55

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-31.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.25 $37.25

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-34.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$129 ₡57.8K

-20.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$131 ₡58.8K

-17.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 $1,522

$1,170 ₡525.9K

30.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,344 $1,344

$943 ₡424.1K

42.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,192 $2,192

$1,984 ₡892.0K

10.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 $2,291

$1,400 ₡629.5K

63.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,184 $3,184

$2,681 ₡1.2M

18.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,323 $2,323

$2,037 ₡915.8K

14.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.62

-23.55%

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

Last update for Fallston, 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

Fallston, MD

$1.3K 50.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 29.8% $401

Groceries & Markets

Fallston, MD

$408 15.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 1.4% $5.8

Eating Out

Fallston, MD

$326 12.3%

San Jose

$232 11% 28.8% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fallston, MD

$293 11%

San Jose

$190 9% 35.1% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Fallston, MD

$133 5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 30.9% $41

Getting Around

Fallston, MD

$86 3.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 6.2% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Fallston, MD

$69 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 22.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,522 in Fallston, MD and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75 in Fallston, MD vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $408 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fallston, MD

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

22:59 10:59 PM

1 h behind Fallston, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,000

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 = 0.891 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

Fallston, MD San Jose 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Fallston, 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

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

San Jose is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,988 in Fallston, MD 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: $1,522 in Fallston, MD versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $75 in Fallston, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $1,476 in Fallston, MD versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,659 in Fallston, MD, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Fallston, MD. 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.