Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Farmington Hills, MI and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,536 in Farmington Hills, MI, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Farmington Hills, MI outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Farmington Hills, MI
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Farmington Hills, MI Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Farmington Hills, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,536

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,536 in Farmington Hills, MI versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Farmington Hills, MI $2,536
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,800 in Farmington Hills, MI versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Farmington Hills, MI $3,800
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,063 in Farmington Hills, MI versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Farmington Hills, MI $5,063
San Jose $4,054

Living in Farmington Hills, MI is roughly 20% 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: Farmington Hills, MI 88% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 $16.65

$12.37 ₡5,546

34.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.9 $58.9

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-5.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 $10.62

$11.71 ₡5,248

-9.31%

Cappuccino

$4.98 $4.98

$4.54 ₡2,034

9.69%

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

$2.15 $2.15

$2.75 ₡1,234

-21.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.86 ₡835

5.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.35 ₡1,501

47.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 $6.08

$4.32 ₡1,938

40.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.36 ₡1,057

-67.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 $2.13

$3.07 ₡1,375

-30.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$2.51 ₡1,124

85.66%

Eggs

$2.72 $2.72

$3.53 ₡1,580

-22.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 $10.65

$10.54 ₡4,724

1.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.67 $11.67

$10.57 ₡4,740

10.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.77 $18.77

$13.92 ₡6,242

34.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 $3.44

$5.20 ₡2,331

-33.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.65 ₡738

-35.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.71 $6.71

$4.89 ₡2,191

37.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.84 ₡1,722

-7.29%

Potato (1kg)

$5.84 $5.84

$3.91 ₡1,752

49.36%

Onion (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$3.76 ₡1,687

19.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.12 ₡503

90.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$3.22 ₡1,443

-54.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 $9.16

$6.02 ₡2,698

52.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.10 $13.10

$19.84 ₡8,892

-33.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$2.81 ₡1,261

-18.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$3.65 ₡1,638

-32.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.08 ₡485

170.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.9 $64.9

$65.2 ₡29.2K

-0.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.26 ₡1,015

127.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.78 ₡797

-15.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$47.41 $47.41

$7.90 ₡3,540

500.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.50 ₡671

-31.33%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$33.5K ₡15.0M

-7.85%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-41.19%

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

$178 $178

$93.2 ₡41.8K

91.36%

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

$57.1 $57.1

$36.13 ₡16.2K

57.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 $53.1

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-12.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.2 $76.2

$68.9 ₡30.9K

10.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.07 $35.07

$24.94 ₡11.2K

40.62%

Cinema Ticket

$11.89 $11.89

$7.67 ₡3,439

55.02%

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

$1,646 $1,646

$972 ₡435.6K

69.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K $10.1K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-46.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 $61.8

$70.6 ₡31.7K

-12.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 $50.3

$56.7 ₡25.4K

-11.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.49 $45.49

$129 ₡57.7K

-64.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$131 ₡58.7K

-10.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 $1,530

$1,170 ₡524.3K

30.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$943 ₡422.8K

36.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,672 $2,672

$1,984 ₡889.3K

34.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,317 $2,317

$1,400 ₡627.6K

65.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,908 $2,908

$2,681 ₡1.2M

8.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,666 $1,666

$2,037 ₡913.0K

-18.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,414 $5,414

$987 ₡442.3K

448.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.35

8.62

-26.33%

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

Last update for Farmington Hills, MI: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Farmington Hills, MI

$1.3K 50.8%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 26.7% $344

Groceries & Markets

Farmington Hills, MI

$369 14.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 9.2% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Farmington Hills, MI

$289 11.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 34.2% $99

Eating Out

Farmington Hills, MI

$278 11%

San Jose

$232 11% 16.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Farmington Hills, MI

$124 4.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 40.5% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Farmington Hills, MI

$100 3.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 15.7% $16

Getting Around

Farmington Hills, MI

$89 3.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 9.6% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,530 in Farmington Hills, MI and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Farmington Hills, MI pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $59 in Farmington Hills, MI vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $369 vs $403 per month, with Farmington Hills, MI cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Farmington Hills, MI

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

19:00 7:00 PM

1 h behind Farmington Hills, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,937

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Farmington Hills, MI San Jose 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Farmington Hills, MI
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

Farmington Hills, MI vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Farmington Hills, MI. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Farmington Hills, MI is about 5.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,530 in Farmington Hills, MI versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,646 in Farmington Hills, MI 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 Farmington Hills, MI – a meal for two runs $59 versus $62 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,536 in Farmington Hills, MI, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Farmington Hills, MI. 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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Farmington Hills, MI on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.