Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Foster City, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $4,311 in Foster City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $28,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

208

Cost of Living Index in Foster City, CA
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Foster City, CA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Foster City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,311

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Foster City, CA 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 Foster City, CA and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,311 per month in Foster City, CA vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Foster City, CA $4,311
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $4,062 per month in Foster City, CA vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Foster City, CA $4,062
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $3,812 per month in Foster City, CA vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Foster City, CA $3,812
San Jose $3,929

Foster City, CA costs about 124% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Foster City, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Foster City, CA by 218%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.94 $24.94

$12.29 ₡5,513

102.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 $109

$62.3 ₡27.9K

75.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 $12.14

$11.53 ₡5,171

5.29%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.35 ₡1,953

29.43%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$2.64 ₡1,183

11.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.86 ₡836

46.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.09 $8.09

$3.32 ₡1,490

143.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$4.52 ₡2,026

81.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$2.39 ₡1,073

-42.26%

White Bread (500g)

$4.96 $4.96

$3.08 ₡1,381

61.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.50 ₡1,119

-12.80%

Eggs

$6.46 $6.46

$3.48 ₡1,562

85.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.14 $15.14

$10.74 ₡4,815

40.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.04 $13.04

$10.32 ₡4,629

26.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.19 $23.19

$14.10 ₡6,325

64.47%

Apples (1kg)

$7.78 $7.78

$5.03 ₡2,256

54.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.59 ₡714

48.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$4.84 ₡2,171

34.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$3.96 ₡1,776

-16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$3.76 ₡1,684

-10.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$3.73 ₡1,674

-16.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.08 ₡485

127.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.25 ₡1,456

-36.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.93 $11.93

$5.86 ₡2,627

103.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.18 $20.18

$20.28 ₡9,095

-0.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.90 ₡1,300

-40.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$3.73 ₡1,673

-0.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.08 ₡486

249.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$190 $190

$65.5 ₡29.4K

190.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.50 ₡1,123

28.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.63 ₡732

44.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.74 $39.74

$8.71 ₡3,904

356.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.58 ₡709

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-17.46%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-36.95%

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

$270 $270

$93.7 ₡42.0K

188.07%

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

$50.2 $50.2

$35.42 ₡15.9K

41.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 $67.5

$60.0 ₡26.9K

12.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$72.6 ₡32.6K

54.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$15.80 $15.80

$7.74 ₡3,471

104.13%

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

$2,697 $2,697

$1,005 ₡450.9K

168.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.6K $37.6K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

122.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.34 $47.34

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-35.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.56 $29.56

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-46.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.7 $67.7

$128 ₡57.5K

-47.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.96 $49.96

$130 ₡58.5K

-61.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,003 $3,003

$932 ₡418.0K

222.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,609 $2,609

$760 ₡340.8K

243.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K $10.6K

$2,301 ₡1.0M

362.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,568 $9,568

$1,833 ₡821.9K

422.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,872 $6,872

$1,029 ₡461.3K

568.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.62

-20.88%

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

Last update for Foster City, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Foster City, CA

$2.6K 60.5%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 70.9% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Foster City, CA

$481 11.2%

San Jose

$403 21% 16.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Foster City, CA

$387 9%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 51.2% $198

Eating Out

Foster City, CA

$383 8.9%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 40.2% $154

Getting Around

Foster City, CA

$220 5.1%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 63.5% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Foster City, CA

$144 3.3%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 38.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Foster City, CA

$88 2%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 99% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,003 in Foster City, CA 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.

Salaries run about 568% higher in Foster City, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in Foster City, CA versus $62.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $481 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Foster City, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

1 h ahead of Foster City, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,567

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

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Between locations

Foster City, CA San Jose 4,900 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Foster City, CA
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

Foster City, CA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Foster City, CA is pricier by about 124%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,467 per month in Foster City, CA 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.

Public transport costs about 190% less in San Jose. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,697 per month in Foster City, CA and $1,005 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Foster City, CA at $4,311. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Foster City, CA 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.

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, Foster City, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.