Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Framingham, MA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,457 in Framingham, MA, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Framingham, MA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

164

Cost of Living Index in Framingham, MA
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Framingham, MA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Framingham, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,457

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,457 in Framingham, MA versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Framingham, MA $3,457
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,846 in Framingham, MA versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Framingham, MA $4,846
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,234 in Framingham, MA versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Framingham, MA $6,234
San Jose $4,054

Living in Framingham, MA is roughly 64% 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: Framingham, MA 156% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.17 $16.17

$12.37 ₡5,563

30.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.4 $92.4

$62.4 ₡28.0K

48.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.91 $14.91

$11.71 ₡5,264

27.33%

Cappuccino

$4.39 $4.39

$4.54 ₡2,040

-3.30%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$2.75 ₡1,238

4.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.86 ₡837

27.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 $4.99

$3.35 ₡1,505

48.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 $5.41

$4.32 ₡1,944

25.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.36 ₡1,061

-54.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$3.07 ₡1,379

23.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$2.51 ₡1,128

119.92%

Eggs

$4.71 $4.71

$3.53 ₡1,585

33.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 $11.25

$10.54 ₡4,738

6.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 $8.86

$10.57 ₡4,754

-16.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 $17.51

$13.92 ₡6,261

25.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$5.20 ₡2,338

-30.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.65 ₡740

3.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$4.89 ₡2,198

35.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$3.84 ₡1,728

45.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$3.91 ₡1,757

-51.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.76 ₡1,692

-23.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.12 ₡504

103.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.22 ₡1,447

-21.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.54 $13.54

$6.02 ₡2,706

124.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 $13.91

$19.84 ₡8,919

-29.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.81 ₡1,264

-23.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.65 ₡1,643

9.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.08 ₡487

103.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.26 ₡1,018

77.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.78 ₡799

41.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.60 $39.60

$7.90 ₡3,551

401.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.50 ₡673

-34.67%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.88%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-35.86%

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

$317 $317

$93.2 ₡41.9K

240.12%

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

$29.45 $29.45

$36.13 ₡16.2K

-18.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.6 $83.6

$60.6 ₡27.2K

37.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.90 $24.90

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-63.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.44 $25.44

$24.94 ₡11.2K

2.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 $10.06

$7.67 ₡3,449

31.16%

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

$1,868 $1,868

$972 ₡436.9K

92.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.5K $44.5K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

135.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.31 $39.31

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-44.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.23 $30.23

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-46.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.6 $70.6

$129 ₡57.8K

-45.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.0 $61.0

$131 ₡58.8K

-53.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,026 $2,026

$1,170 ₡525.9K

73.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,182 $2,182

$943 ₡424.1K

131.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,830 $3,830

$1,984 ₡892.0K

93.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,463 $3,463

$1,400 ₡629.5K

147.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,149 $4,149

$987 ₡443.6K

320.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Framingham, MA: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Framingham, MA

$2.2K 63.1%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 56.8% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Framingham, MA

$430 12.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 55.8% $240

Groceries & Markets

Framingham, MA

$400 11.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 0.5% $2.2

Eating Out

Framingham, MA

$284 8.2%

San Jose

$232 11% 18.1% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Framingham, MA

$91 2.6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 92.3% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Framingham, MA

$45 1.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 87.2% $39

Getting Around

Framingham, MA

$25 * 0.7%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 218% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,026 in Framingham, MA and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Framingham, MA pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $92 in Framingham, MA vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $400 vs $403, with Framingham, MA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Framingham, MA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

14:08 2:08 PM

13:08 1:08 PM

1 h behind Framingham, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,318

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 = 0.89 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

Framingham, MA San Jose 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Framingham, MA
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

Framingham, MA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Framingham, MA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Framingham, MA is about 4.2 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: $2,026 in Framingham, MA versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,457 per month in Framingham, MA versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $92 in Framingham, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,457 in Framingham, MA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Framingham, MA. 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, Framingham, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.