Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Madison, IA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
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Fort Madison, IA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $2,559
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,754 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $3,754
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $4,950 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $4,950
San Jose $3,929

Fort Madison, IA costs about 33% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fort Madison, IA and San Jose sit above the global median – Fort Madison, IA by 89%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$12.29 ₡5,513

61.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$62.3 ₡27.9K

22.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 $11.40

$11.53 ₡5,171

-1.13%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$4.35 ₡1,953

26.21%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$2.64 ₡1,183

-0.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.86 ₡836

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 $6.13

$3.32 ₡1,490

84.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$4.52 ₡2,026

63.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.39 ₡1,073

-56.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$3.08 ₡1,381

12.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.50 ₡1,119

72.00%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$3.48 ₡1,562

19.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$10.74 ₡4,815

17.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$10.32 ₡4,629

9.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 $17.07

$14.10 ₡6,325

21.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$5.03 ₡2,256

-2.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.59 ₡714

-0.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$4.84 ₡2,171

-12.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$3.96 ₡1,776

21.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$3.76 ₡1,684

-24.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.73 ₡1,674

-21.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.08 ₡485

98.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.25 ₡1,456

-32.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$5.86 ₡2,627

72.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$20.28 ₡9,095

-25.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.90 ₡1,300

-42.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$3.73 ₡1,673

-19.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.08 ₡486

110.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.50 ₡1,123

33.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.63 ₡732

7.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.70 $31.70

$8.71 ₡3,904

263.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.58 ₡709

-41.77%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-20.97%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-42.85%

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

$201 $201

$93.7 ₡42.0K

115.10%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$35.42 ₡15.9K

66.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 $71.0

$60.0 ₡26.9K

18.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-43.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$7.74 ₡3,471

82.69%

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

$1,439 $1,439

$1,005 ₡450.9K

43.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

40.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-26.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.89 $40.89

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-26.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$128 ₡57.5K

-31.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$130 ₡58.5K

-12.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$932 ₡418.0K

69.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$760 ₡340.8K

69.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$1,922 ₡862.0K

31.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 $2,141

$1,276 ₡572.1K

67.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 $2,414

$2,301 ₡1.0M

4.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,589 $2,589

$1,833 ₡821.9K

41.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

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 Fort Madison, IA: October 18, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 50.3%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 41% $527

Groceries & Markets

Fort Madison, IA

$393 15.4%

San Jose

$403 21% 2.5% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Madison, IA

$331 13%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 43% $142

Eating Out

Fort Madison, IA

$322 12.6%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 29% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.2%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 30.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 27% $19

Getting Around

Fort Madison, IA

$21 * 0.8%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 279% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,582 in Fort Madison, IA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $393 in Fort Madison, IA vs $403 in San Jose – so Fort Madison, IA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

10:30 10:30 AM

1 h behind Fort Madison, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,270

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

Fort Madison, IA San Jose 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Fort Madison, IA
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 Madison, IA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, $1,924 in San Jose – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,838 per month in Fort Madison, IA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA and $62.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Fort Madison, IA – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Fort Madison, IA at $2,559. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Madison, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,924 in San Jose to $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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