Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fontana, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $3,399 in Fontana, CA, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Fontana, CA
Learn more

Fontana, CA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Fontana, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,399

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,399 per month in Fontana, CA vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Fontana, CA $3,399
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $5,055 per month in Fontana, CA vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Fontana, CA $5,055
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $6,711 per month in Fontana, CA vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Fontana, CA $6,711
San Jose $3,929

Fontana, CA costs about 77% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fontana, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Fontana, CA by 151%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.01 $20.01

$12.29 ₡5,513

62.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.4 $78.4

$62.3 ₡27.9K

25.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.87 $14.87

$11.53 ₡5,171

28.97%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$4.35 ₡1,953

29.89%

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

$3.48 $3.48

$2.64 ₡1,183

31.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.86 ₡836

27.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.28 $7.28

$3.32 ₡1,490

119.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.25 $9.25

$4.52 ₡2,026

104.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$2.39 ₡1,073

-55.65%

White Bread (500g)

$4.12 $4.12

$3.08 ₡1,381

33.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.50 ₡1,119

92.00%

Eggs

$5.03 $5.03

$3.48 ₡1,562

44.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$10.74 ₡4,815

22.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 $8.66

$10.32 ₡4,629

-16.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.23 $15.23

$14.10 ₡6,325

8.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$5.03 ₡2,256

-4.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.59 ₡714

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$4.84 ₡2,171

-17.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$3.96 ₡1,776

44.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.76 ₡1,684

-3.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 $2.30

$3.73 ₡1,674

-38.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.08 ₡485

90.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$3.25 ₡1,456

-41.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.73 $11.73

$5.86 ₡2,627

100.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$20.28 ₡9,095

-27.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.90 ₡1,300

-33.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 $4.07

$3.73 ₡1,673

9.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.84 $45.84

$65.5 ₡29.4K

-29.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 $6.39

$2.50 ₡1,123

155.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.58 ₡709

-6.96%

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

$29.3K $29.3K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-12.86%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-36.16%

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

$220 $220

$93.7 ₡42.0K

135.12%

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

$79.5 $79.5

$35.42 ₡15.9K

124.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 $59.7

$60.0 ₡26.9K

-0.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$15.18 $15.18

$7.74 ₡3,471

96.12%

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

$1,196 $1,196

$1,005 ₡450.9K

18.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 $58.6

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-19.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 $39.49

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-28.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 $91.6

$128 ₡57.5K

-28.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$130 ₡58.5K

-21.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 $2,039

$932 ₡418.0K

118.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 $2,080

$760 ₡340.8K

173.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,222 $3,222

$1,922 ₡862.0K

67.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,818 $3,818

$1,276 ₡572.1K

199.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ₡821.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,917 $4,917

$1,029 ₡461.3K

377.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

8.62

-26.80%

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

Last update for Fontana, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fontana, CA

$2.1K 61.2%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 63.5% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Fontana, CA

$395 11.6%

San Jose

$403 21% 2.1% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fontana, CA

$359 10.6%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 47.4% $170

Eating Out

Fontana, CA

$351 10.3%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 34.8% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Fontana, CA

$132 3.9%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 32.4% $43

Getting Around

Fontana, CA

$52 * 1.5%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 54% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Fontana, CA

$30 * 0.9%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 190% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,039 in Fontana, CA versus $932 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 378% higher in Fontana, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Fontana, CA versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $395 in Fontana, CA vs $403 in San Jose – so Fontana, CA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fontana, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

16:21 4:21 PM

1 h ahead of Fontana, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

210,000

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fontana, CA San Jose 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Fontana, CA
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

Fontana, CA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fontana, CA costs about 77% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,099 per month in Fontana, CA and $2,886 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,399 in Fontana, CA and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 77%.

Public transport costs about 43% less in San Jose. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Fontana, CA at $3,399. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fontana, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $1,924 versus $3,399 in Fontana, CA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fontana, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.