Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Farmington, NM and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,241 in Farmington, NM, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Farmington, NM
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Farmington, NM Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Farmington, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$3,241

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,241 in Farmington, NM versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Farmington, NM $3,241
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,359 in Farmington, NM versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Farmington, NM $4,359
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,477 in Farmington, NM versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Farmington, NM $5,477
San Jose $4,054

Living in Farmington, NM is roughly 54% 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, NM 140% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.27 $20.27

$12.37 ₡5,546

63.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.47 $49.47

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-20.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.73 $11.73

$11.71 ₡5,248

0.17%

Cappuccino

$6.16 $6.16

$4.54 ₡2,034

35.68%

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

$2.34 $2.34

$2.75 ₡1,234

-14.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.86 ₡835

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 $7.89

$3.35 ₡1,501

135.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.02 $13.02

$4.32 ₡1,938

201.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.36 ₡1,057

-59.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.07 ₡1,375

13.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.51 ₡1,124

77.29%

Eggs

$4.06 $4.06

$3.53 ₡1,580

15.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.57 $7.57

$10.54 ₡4,724

-28.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.14 $13.14

$10.57 ₡4,740

24.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.47 $16.47

$13.92 ₡6,242

18.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$5.20 ₡2,331

-39.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.65 ₡738

1.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$4.89 ₡2,191

-10.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$3.84 ₡1,722

23.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.91 ₡1,752

-26.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.76 ₡1,687

-20.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.12 ₡503

98.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$3.22 ₡1,443

-28.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 $10.13

$6.02 ₡2,698

68.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 $14.85

$19.84 ₡8,892

-25.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.81 ₡1,261

-36.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$3.65 ₡1,638

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.08 ₡485

87.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.95 $29.95

$65.2 ₡29.2K

-54.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.26 ₡1,015

63.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.78 ₡797

5.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.36 $31.36

$7.90 ₡3,540

296.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.50 ₡671

-29.33%

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

$31.6K $31.6K

$33.5K ₡15.0M

-5.58%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.39%

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

$395 $395

$93.2 ₡41.8K

323.44%

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

$57.8 $57.8

$36.13 ₡16.2K

59.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$114 $114

$60.6 ₡27.2K

88.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.36 $40.36

$68.9 ₡30.9K

-41.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$12.21 $12.21

$7.67 ₡3,439

59.19%

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

$1,524 $1,524

$972 ₡435.6K

56.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K $22.9K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

21.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$70.6 ₡31.7K

-25.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.85 $41.85

$56.7 ₡25.4K

-26.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 $88.1

$129 ₡57.7K

-31.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$131 ₡58.7K

-12.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,740 $1,740

$1,170 ₡524.3K

48.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,692 $1,692

$943 ₡422.8K

79.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,572 $2,572

$1,984 ₡889.3K

29.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 $2,494

$1,400 ₡627.6K

78.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,113 $2,113

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-21.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,107 $2,107

$2,037 ₡913.0K

3.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,157 $7,157

$987 ₡442.3K

625.40%

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 Farmington, NM: 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

Farmington, NM

$1.7K 52.2%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 44.3% $749

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Farmington, NM

$566 17.5%

San Jose

$190 9% 66.5% $377

Groceries & Markets

Farmington, NM

$380 11.7%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 5.9% $23

Eating Out

Farmington, NM

$353 10.9%

San Jose

$232 11% 34.2% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Farmington, NM

$134 4.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 30.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Farmington, NM

$65 2%

San Jose

$84 4% 30.1% $19

Getting Around

Farmington, NM

$51 1.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 57.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,740 in Farmington, NM and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Farmington, NM pays about 7.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $49 in Farmington, NM vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $403 per month, with Farmington, NM cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Farmington, NM

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

18:15 6:15 PM

1 h ahead of Farmington, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,207

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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Between locations

Farmington, NM San Jose 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Farmington, NM. 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, NM is about 7.3 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: $1,740 in Farmington, NM versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,524 in Farmington, NM versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Farmington, NM pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,241 in Farmington, NM, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Farmington, NM. 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, NM on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.