Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Worth, TX and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,871 in Fort Worth, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Fort Worth, TX
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Fort Worth, TX Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Fort Worth, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,871

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,871 in Fort Worth, TX versus $1,949 in San Jose.

Fort Worth, TX $2,871
San Jose $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,130 in Fort Worth, TX versus $2,903 in San Jose.

Fort Worth, TX $4,130
San Jose $2,903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,390 in Fort Worth, TX versus $3,857 in San Jose.

Fort Worth, TX $5,390
San Jose $3,857

Living in Fort Worth, TX is roughly 47% 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 Worth, TX 114% above, San Jose 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.30 $20.30

$12.22 ₡5,510

66.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.2 $54.2

$60.1 ₡27.1K

-9.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.19 $12.19

$11.77 ₡5,305

3.57%

Cappuccino

$6.27 $6.27

$4.30 ₡1,939

45.81%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$2.72 ₡1,226

6.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.84 ₡830

33.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.37 $5.37

$3.28 ₡1,480

63.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.09 $8.09

$4.36 ₡1,966

85.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.38 ₡1,074

-60.50%

White Bread (500g)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.12 ₡1,408

28.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.41 ₡1,086

119.50%

Eggs

$3.77 $3.77

$3.47 ₡1,564

8.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 $10.97

$10.57 ₡4,767

3.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.03 $15.03

$10.56 ₡4,758

42.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.36 $20.36

$13.75 ₡6,196

48.07%

Apples (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$5.04 ₡2,274

30.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.61 ₡727

67.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$4.59 ₡2,069

12.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.84 ₡1,731

19.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.77 ₡1,700

-32.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$3.76 ₡1,693

-6.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.12 ₡506

97.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$3.20 ₡1,441

-25.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.69 $9.69

$5.84 ₡2,632

65.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.30 $21.30

$19.73 ₡8,897

7.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.75 ₡1,240

-23.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 $3.23

$3.66 ₡1,650

-11.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.12 ₡503

80.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 $77.4

$65.1 ₡29.4K

18.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.46 ₡1,110

24.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.54 ₡692

13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.90 $23.90

$8.46 ₡3,815

182.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.55 ₡699

-35.48%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

70.79%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-25.78%

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

$206 $206

$94.7 ₡42.7K

117.42%

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

$92.1 $92.1

$35.11 ₡15.8K

162.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.3 $81.3

$58.6 ₡26.4K

38.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 $56.6

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-21.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.94 $19.94

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-20.84%

Cinema Ticket

$15.47 $15.47

$7.83 ₡3,532

97.57%

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

$1,891 $1,891

$971 ₡437.9K

94.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K $28.4K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

67.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 $59.9

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-16.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-7.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$129 ₡58.2K

-4.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$133 ₡60.0K

0.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 $1,670

$934 ₡420.9K

78.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 $1,311

$770 ₡347.2K

70.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,785 $2,785

$1,945 ₡876.7K

43.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 $2,207

$1,316 ₡593.5K

67.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,058 $4,058

$2,277 ₡1.0M

78.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,845 $1,845

$1,795 ₡809.1K

2.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,428 $4,428

$1,006 ₡453.5K

340.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

8.62

-23.20%

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

Last update for Fort Worth, TX: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Worth, TX

$1.3K 46.2%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 41.2% $541

Groceries & Markets

Fort Worth, TX

$459 16.2%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 13.1% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Worth, TX

$379 13.4%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 50.3% $191

Eating Out

Fort Worth, TX

$339 11.9%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 32.7% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Worth, TX

$166 5.8%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 5.6% $9.2

Getting Around

Fort Worth, TX

$97 3.4%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 18.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Worth, TX

$88 3.1%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 0.3% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,670 in Fort Worth, TX and $934 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Worth, TX pays 340% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $54.0 in Fort Worth, TX vs $60.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $459 vs $399, with San Jose cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Worth, TX

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

04:39 4:39 AM

1 h behind Fort Worth, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

996,756

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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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Between locations

Fort Worth, TX San Jose 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Worth, TX
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 Worth, TX vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort Worth, TX and San Jose differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($2,871 vs $1,949 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 340% higher in Fort Worth, TX, 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: $1,670 in Fort Worth, TX versus $934 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,891 in Fort Worth, TX versus $971 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Fort Worth, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,949 in San Jose versus $2,871 in Fort Worth, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Fort Worth, TX. 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Fort Worth, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.