Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fayetteville, GA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,603 in Fayetteville, GA, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Fayetteville, GA
Learn more

Fayetteville, GA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Fayetteville, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,603

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,603 in Fayetteville, GA versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Fayetteville, GA $2,603
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,757 in Fayetteville, GA versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Fayetteville, GA $3,757
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,910 in Fayetteville, GA versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Fayetteville, GA $4,910
San Jose $4,054

Living in Fayetteville, GA is roughly 24% 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: Fayetteville, GA 93% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.34 $20.34

$12.37 ₡5,563

64.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.0 $60.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-3.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 $11.42

$11.71 ₡5,264

-2.48%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$4.54 ₡2,040

12.11%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$2.75 ₡1,238

7.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.86 ₡837

-5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.35 ₡1,505

82.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.32 ₡1,944

64.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.36 ₡1,061

-55.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.07 ₡1,379

15.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.51 ₡1,128

77.29%

Eggs

$4.23 $4.23

$3.53 ₡1,585

19.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.66 $12.66

$10.54 ₡4,738

20.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.82 $11.82

$10.57 ₡4,754

11.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.90 $16.90

$13.92 ₡6,261

21.41%

Apples (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$5.20 ₡2,338

-3.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.65 ₡740

1.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$4.89 ₡2,198

-13.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.84 ₡1,728

20.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.91 ₡1,757

-26.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.76 ₡1,692

-22.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.12 ₡504

91.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$3.22 ₡1,447

-29.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$6.02 ₡2,706

66.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 $15.17

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.81 ₡1,264

-22.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$3.65 ₡1,643

-12.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.08 ₡487

88.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.9 $60.9

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-6.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.26 ₡1,018

48.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.78 ₡799

-3.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.13 $33.13

$7.90 ₡3,551

319.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.50 ₡673

-31.33%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-15.63%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.90%

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

$185 $185

$93.2 ₡41.9K

98.43%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$36.13 ₡16.2K

62.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.6 $68.6

$60.6 ₡27.2K

13.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.55 $40.55

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-41.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 $13.54

$7.67 ₡3,449

76.53%

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

$1,393 $1,393

$972 ₡436.9K

43.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K $21.2K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

12.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 $53.6

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-24.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.47 $38.47

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-32.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$129 ₡57.8K

-21.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$131 ₡58.8K

-17.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 $1,580

$1,170 ₡525.9K

35.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 $1,284

$943 ₡424.1K

36.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,548 $2,548

$1,984 ₡892.0K

28.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,069 $2,069

$1,400 ₡629.5K

47.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 $2,640

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-1.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,641 $2,641

$2,037 ₡915.8K

29.69%

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 Fayetteville, GA: 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

Fayetteville, GA

$1.3K 49.3%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 26.6% $341

Groceries & Markets

Fayetteville, GA

$401 15.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 0.3% $1.3

Eating Out

Fayetteville, GA

$322 12.4%

San Jose

$232 11% 27.7% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fayetteville, GA

$312 12%

San Jose

$190 9% 39.1% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Fayetteville, GA

$135 5.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 28.6% $39

Getting Around

Fayetteville, GA

$81 3.1%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 0.4% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Fayetteville, GA

$68 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 24.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,580 in Fayetteville, GA and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60 in Fayetteville, GA vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $403 per month, with Fayetteville, GA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fayetteville, GA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

17:13 5:13 PM

1 h behind Fayetteville, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,949

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fayetteville, GA San Jose 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Fayetteville, GA
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

Fayetteville, GA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Fayetteville, GA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,905 in Fayetteville, GA 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: $1,580 in Fayetteville, GA versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,393 in Fayetteville, GA 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 Fayetteville, GA – a meal for two runs $60 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 $2,603 in Fayetteville, GA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Fayetteville, GA. 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.