Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,024 in Fort Myers, FL, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Fort Myers, FL
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Fort Myers, FL Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Fort Myers, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,024

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,024 in Fort Myers, FL versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Fort Myers, FL $3,024
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,283 in Fort Myers, FL versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Fort Myers, FL $4,283
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,541 in Fort Myers, FL versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Fort Myers, FL $5,541
San Jose $4,054

Living in Fort Myers, FL is roughly 44% 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 Myers, FL 124% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.55 $24.55

$12.37 ₡5,563

98.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 $80.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

28.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.11 $13.11

$11.71 ₡5,264

11.96%

Cappuccino

$4.83 $4.83

$4.54 ₡2,040

6.39%

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

$2.87 $2.87

$2.75 ₡1,238

4.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.86 ₡837

8.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.35 ₡1,505

45.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 $5.91

$4.32 ₡1,944

36.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.36 ₡1,061

-55.51%

White Bread (500g)

$4.43 $4.43

$3.07 ₡1,379

44.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$2.51 ₡1,128

100.80%

Eggs

$4.06 $4.06

$3.53 ₡1,585

15.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.59 $9.59

$10.54 ₡4,738

-9.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.57 $14.57

$10.57 ₡4,754

37.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.05 $20.05

$13.92 ₡6,261

44.04%

Apples (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$5.20 ₡2,338

18.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.65 ₡740

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$4.89 ₡2,198

18.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.84 ₡1,728

53.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.91 ₡1,757

-7.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.76 ₡1,692

4.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.12 ₡504

142.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.22 ₡1,447

-7.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.34 $9.34

$6.02 ₡2,706

55.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.14 $17.14

$19.84 ₡8,919

-13.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.81 ₡1,264

-2.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 $4.68

$3.65 ₡1,643

28.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.08 ₡487

40.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.73 $39.73

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-39.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.26 ₡1,018

76.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.78 ₡799

-12.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.50 ₡673

-28.00%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-14.98%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.19%

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

$191 $191

$93.2 ₡41.9K

105.38%

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

$91.0 $91.0

$36.13 ₡16.2K

151.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$92.6 $92.6

$60.6 ₡27.2K

52.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.48 $37.48

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-45.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.04 $20.04

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-19.65%

Cinema Ticket

$19.67 $19.67

$7.67 ₡3,449

156.45%

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

$1,899 $1,899

$972 ₡436.9K

95.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K $20.5K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

8.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 $62.2

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-11.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.9 $53.9

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-4.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 $89.2

$129 ₡57.8K

-30.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 $96.4

$131 ₡58.8K

-26.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 $1,765

$1,170 ₡525.9K

50.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,562 $1,562

$943 ₡424.1K

65.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,133 $3,133

$1,984 ₡892.0K

57.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 $2,301

$1,400 ₡629.5K

64.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,655 $2,655

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-0.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,410 $2,410

$2,037 ₡915.8K

18.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,658 $3,658

$987 ₡443.6K

270.74%

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 Myers, FL: 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

Fort Myers, FL

$1.6K 51.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 39.6% $619

Groceries & Markets

Fort Myers, FL

$468 15.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 13.9% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Myers, FL

$375 12.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 49.4% $185

Eating Out

Fort Myers, FL

$349 11.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 33.5% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Myers, FL

$136 4.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 28.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Myers, FL

$77 2.5%

San Jose

$84 4% 9.7% $7.5

Getting Around

Fort Myers, FL

$58 1.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 40.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,765 in Fort Myers, FL and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Myers, FL pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Fort Myers, FL vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $468 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Myers, FL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

01:53 1:53 AM

00:53 12:53 AM

1 h behind Fort Myers, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,190

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 = 0.891 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 Myers, FL San Jose 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

San Jose is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Fort Myers, FL is about 3.7 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: $1,765 in Fort Myers, FL versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Fort Myers, FL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $80 in Fort Myers, FL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,024 in Fort Myers, FL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Fort Myers, FL. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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