Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Lauderdale, FL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,454 in Fort Lauderdale, FL, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Learn more

Fort Lauderdale, FL Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Fort Lauderdale, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,454

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,454 per month in Fort Lauderdale, FL vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Fort Lauderdale, FL $3,454
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $5,036 per month in Fort Lauderdale, FL vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Fort Lauderdale, FL $5,036
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $6,617 per month in Fort Lauderdale, FL vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Fort Lauderdale, FL $6,617
San Jose $4,054

Fort Lauderdale, FL costs about 64% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fort Lauderdale, FL and San Jose sit above the global median – Fort Lauderdale, FL by 155%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.24 $30.24

$12.37 ₡5,546

144.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

58.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.66 $14.66

$11.71 ₡5,248

25.19%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.54 ₡2,034

11.01%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$2.75 ₡1,234

9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.86 ₡835

12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 $5.94

$3.35 ₡1,501

77.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 $7.03

$4.32 ₡1,938

62.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.36 ₡1,057

-54.66%

White Bread (500g)

$5.00 $5.00

$3.07 ₡1,375

62.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.51 ₡1,124

51.39%

Eggs

$4.93 $4.93

$3.53 ₡1,580

39.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.53 $17.53

$10.54 ₡4,724

66.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 $10.63

$10.57 ₡4,740

0.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.94 $26.94

$13.92 ₡6,242

93.53%

Apples (1kg)

$6.47 $6.47

$5.20 ₡2,331

24.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.65 ₡738

21.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$4.89 ₡2,191

-14.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$3.84 ₡1,722

38.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.91 ₡1,752

-28.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$3.76 ₡1,687

-13.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.12 ₡503

136.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$3.22 ₡1,443

-42.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.24 $9.24

$6.02 ₡2,698

53.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.93 $11.93

$19.84 ₡8,892

-39.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.81 ₡1,261

11.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$3.65 ₡1,638

-41.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.08 ₡485

87.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.7 $69.7

$65.2 ₡29.2K

6.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.26 ₡1,015

69.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.78 ₡797

2.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.71 $23.71

$7.90 ₡3,540

200.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.50 ₡671

-26.67%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$33.5K ₡15.0M

-16.48%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.10%

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

$216 $216

$93.2 ₡41.8K

131.68%

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

$64.3 $64.3

$36.13 ₡16.2K

77.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.3 $79.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

30.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.37 $43.37

$68.9 ₡30.9K

-37.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 $14.48

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-41.94%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 $18.33

$7.67 ₡3,439

138.98%

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

$1,030 $1,030

$972 ₡435.6K

5.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K $31.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

68.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.38 $46.38

$70.6 ₡31.7K

-34.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.17 $41.17

$56.7 ₡25.4K

-27.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 $89.0

$129 ₡57.7K

-30.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$131 ₡58.7K

-10.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,716 $2,716

$1,170 ₡524.3K

132.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 $1,920

$943 ₡422.8K

103.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,073 $5,073

$1,984 ₡889.3K

155.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,125 $3,125

$1,400 ₡627.6K

123.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,774 $5,774

$2,681 ₡1.2M

115.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,249 $4,249

$2,037 ₡913.0K

108.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,830 $4,830

$987 ₡442.3K

389.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

8.62

-23.09%

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

Last update for Fort Lauderdale, FL: November 3, 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 Lauderdale, FL

$1.9K 55.6%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 50.9% $977

Groceries & Markets

Fort Lauderdale, FL

$461 13.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 12.7% $59

Eating Out

Fort Lauderdale, FL

$410 11.9%

San Jose

$232 11% 43.4% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Lauderdale, FL

$360 10.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 47.2% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Lauderdale, FL

$132 3.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 31.8% $42

Getting Around

Fort Lauderdale, FL

$91 2.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 11.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Lauderdale, FL

$80 2.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 5.3% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,716 in Fort Lauderdale, FL versus $1,170 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 in Fort Lauderdale, FL are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Fort Lauderdale, FL versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $461 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Lauderdale, FL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

19:25 7:25 PM

18:25 6:25 PM

1 h behind Fort Lauderdale, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,521

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fort Lauderdale, FL San Jose 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Fort Lauderdale, FL
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 Lauderdale, FL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort Lauderdale, FL costs about 64% 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 $5,182 per month in Fort Lauderdale, FL and $3,161 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $2,716 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Kindergarten costs $1,030 per month in Fort Lauderdale, FL and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Fort Lauderdale, FL, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Fort Lauderdale, FL at $3,454. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Lauderdale, FL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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