Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Florence, SC and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,273 in Florence, SC, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Florence, SC outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

109

Cost of Living Index in Florence, SC
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Florence, SC Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Florence, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,273

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,273 in Florence, SC versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Florence, SC $2,273
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,190 in Florence, SC versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Florence, SC $3,190
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,108 in Florence, SC versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Florence, SC $4,108
San Jose $4,054

Living in Florence, SC is roughly 8% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Florence, SC 68% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.82 $14.82

$12.37 ₡5,563

19.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 $64.9

$62.4 ₡28.0K

4.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.87 $10.87

$11.71 ₡5,264

-7.17%

Cappuccino

$4.69 $4.69

$4.54 ₡2,040

3.30%

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

$2.49 $2.49

$2.75 ₡1,238

-9.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.86 ₡837

9.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.35 ₡1,505

45.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.02 $7.02

$4.32 ₡1,944

62.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.36 ₡1,061

-61.02%

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$3.07 ₡1,379

35.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.11 $6.11

$2.51 ₡1,128

143.43%

Eggs

$5.30 $5.30

$3.53 ₡1,585

50.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.59 $11.59

$10.54 ₡4,738

9.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.50 $14.50

$10.57 ₡4,754

37.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.18 $25.18

$13.92 ₡6,261

80.89%

Apples (1kg)

$6.67 $6.67

$5.20 ₡2,338

28.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.65 ₡740

9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.87 $6.87

$4.89 ₡2,198

40.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$3.84 ₡1,728

55.21%

Potato (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$3.91 ₡1,757

9.21%

Onion (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.76 ₡1,692

57.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.12 ₡504

109.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$3.22 ₡1,447

-2.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.98 $8.98

$6.02 ₡2,706

49.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.81 ₡1,264

-29.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 $5.72

$3.65 ₡1,643

56.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.26 ₡1,018

81.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.78 ₡799

1.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 $30.45

$7.90 ₡3,551

285.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.50 ₡673

-36.00%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-21.16%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.04%

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

$291 $291

$93.2 ₡41.9K

211.88%

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

$56.1 $56.1

$36.13 ₡16.2K

55.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 $40.58

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-33.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$15.16 $15.16

$7.67 ₡3,449

97.65%

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

$1,335 $1,335

$972 ₡436.9K

37.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K $14.1K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-25.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 $69.2

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-2.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.65 $42.65

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-24.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.8 $59.8

$129 ₡57.8K

-53.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 $68.7

$131 ₡58.8K

-47.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$982 $982

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-16.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$966 $966

$943 ₡424.1K

2.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,481 $1,481

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-25.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,400 ₡629.5K

-6.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,608 $1,608

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-40.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,555 $1,555

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-23.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,136 $3,136

$987 ₡443.6K

217.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Florence, SC: 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

Florence, SC

$966 42.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 2.4% $23

Groceries & Markets

Florence, SC

$503 22.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 20% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Florence, SC

$387 17%

San Jose

$190 9% 51% $197

Eating Out

Florence, SC

$264 11.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 12% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Florence, SC

$108 4.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 60.9% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Florence, SC

$30 * 1.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 178% $54

Getting Around

Florence, SC

$13 * 0.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 515% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $982 in Florence, SC and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Florence, SC pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $65 in Florence, SC vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $503 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Florence, SC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:19 4:19 PM

15:19 3:19 PM

1 h behind Florence, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,184

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

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Between locations

Florence, SC San Jose 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Florence, SC
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

Florence, SC vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Florence, SC. 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 Florence, SC is about 3.2 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: $982 in Florence, SC versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,335 in Florence, SC 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 $65 in Florence, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though San Jose gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Florence, SC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.