Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Collins, CO and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,815 in Fort Collins, CO, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Fort Collins, CO
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Fort Collins, CO Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Fort Collins, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,815

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,815 in Fort Collins, CO versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Fort Collins, CO $2,815
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,967 in Fort Collins, CO versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Fort Collins, CO $3,967
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,119 in Fort Collins, CO versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Fort Collins, CO $5,119
San Jose $4,054

Living in Fort Collins, CO is roughly 34% 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: Fort Collins, CO 108% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.17 $22.17

$12.37 ₡5,563

79.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.8 $80.8

$62.4 ₡28.0K

29.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.16 $11.16

$11.71 ₡5,264

-4.70%

Cappuccino

$6.28 $6.28

$4.54 ₡2,040

38.33%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$2.75 ₡1,238

-11.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.86 ₡837

11.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 $7.05

$3.35 ₡1,505

110.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$4.32 ₡1,944

59.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.36 ₡1,061

-55.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.07 ₡1,379

-6.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.51 ₡1,128

11.16%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$3.53 ₡1,585

21.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.91 $10.91

$10.54 ₡4,738

3.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 $9.09

$10.57 ₡4,754

-14.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.04 $19.04

$13.92 ₡6,261

36.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$5.20 ₡2,338

-4.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.65 ₡740

-4.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$4.89 ₡2,198

-5.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$3.84 ₡1,728

37.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.91 ₡1,757

-12.02%

Onion (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$3.76 ₡1,692

25.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.12 ₡504

101.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$3.22 ₡1,447

-46.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.38 $10.38

$6.02 ₡2,706

72.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.63 $16.63

$19.84 ₡8,919

-16.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.81 ₡1,264

-11.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$3.65 ₡1,643

-28.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.26 ₡1,018

11.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.78 ₡799

3.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.65 $24.65

$7.90 ₡3,551

212.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.50 ₡673

-28.67%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-15.69%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.27%

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

$211 $211

$93.2 ₡41.9K

126.14%

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

$56.0 $56.0

$36.13 ₡16.2K

54.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 $70.4

$60.6 ₡27.2K

16.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 $50.3

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-26.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.35 $30.35

$24.94 ₡11.2K

21.69%

Cinema Ticket

$12.12 $12.12

$7.67 ₡3,449

58.02%

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

$1,294 $1,294

$972 ₡436.9K

33.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K $11.5K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-38.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 $59.3

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-16.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.1 $68.1

$56.7 ₡25.5K

20.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 $81.6

$129 ₡57.8K

-36.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$131 ₡58.8K

-11.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,876 $1,876

$1,170 ₡525.9K

60.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 $1,510

$943 ₡424.1K

60.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 $2,852

$1,984 ₡892.0K

43.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,194 $2,194

$1,400 ₡629.5K

56.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,047 $4,047

$2,681 ₡1.2M

50.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,856 $2,856

$2,037 ₡915.8K

40.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,357 $4,357

$987 ₡443.6K

341.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

8.62

-21.46%

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

Last update for Fort Collins, CO: 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

Fort Collins, CO

$1.5K 53.6%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 37.5% $567

Groceries & Markets

Fort Collins, CO

$382 13.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 5.4% $21

Eating Out

Fort Collins, CO

$353 12.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 34.2% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Collins, CO

$337 12%

San Jose

$190 9% 43.7% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Collins, CO

$146 5.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 19% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Collins, CO

$75 2.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 13% $9.7

Getting Around

Fort Collins, CO

$12 * 0.4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 586% $69

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 $1,876 in Fort Collins, CO and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Collins, CO pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Fort Collins, CO vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $382 vs $403, with Fort Collins, CO cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Collins, CO

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

12:33 12:33 PM

1 h ahead of Fort Collins, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,612

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Fort Collins, CO San Jose 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Collins, CO
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

Fort Collins, CO vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Fort Collins, CO. 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 Fort Collins, CO is about 4.4 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: $1,876 in Fort Collins, CO versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Fort Collins, CO pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,815 per month in Fort Collins, CO versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,815 in Fort Collins, CO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Fort Collins, CO. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Jose delivers better value at $2,107 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Jose hard to pass up.

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