Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Franklin, TN and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $3,159 in Franklin, TN, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Franklin, TN
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Franklin, TN Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Franklin, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$3,159

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,159 per month in Franklin, TN vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Franklin, TN $3,159
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $4,404 per month in Franklin, TN vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Franklin, TN $4,404
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $5,649 per month in Franklin, TN vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Franklin, TN $5,649
San Jose $3,934

Franklin, TN costs about 63% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Franklin, TN and San Jose sit above the global median – Franklin, TN by 134%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.93 $23.93

$12.38 ₡5,551

93.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.0 $87.0

$60.9 ₡27.3K

43.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 $11.89

$11.45 ₡5,135

3.84%

Cappuccino

$7.10 $7.10

$4.39 ₡1,967

61.73%

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

$3.34 $3.34

$2.70 ₡1,211

23.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.93 ₡864

18.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 $7.47

$3.20 ₡1,433

133.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.41 ₡1,979

82.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.44 ₡1,093

-45.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.05 ₡1,369

26.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

Eggs

$5.58 $5.58

$3.40 ₡1,523

64.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.59 $15.59

$10.75 ₡4,823

45.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.82 $17.82

$10.43 ₡4,679

70.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$5.25 ₡2,353

-28.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.59 ₡712

25.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$3.92 ₡1,760

-48.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.68 ₡1,651

-40.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.12 ₡503

117.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

Wine (Bottle)

$12.95 $12.95

$19.56 ₡8,771

-33.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.12 ₡503

-9.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.56 ₡701

-45.51%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

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

$214 $214

$95.2 ₡42.7K

125.24%

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

$115 $115

$35.58 ₡16.0K

223.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.0 $91.0

$58.6 ₡26.3K

55.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.10 $44.10

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-39.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$15.91 $15.91

$7.58 ₡3,401

109.89%

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

$395 $395

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-60.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 $101

$70.5 ₡31.6K

43.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.8 $64.8

$55.8 ₡25.0K

16.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.2 $75.2

$130 ₡58.2K

-42.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$131 ₡58.7K

-16.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,060 $2,060

$927 ₡415.8K

122.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,826 $1,826

$774 ₡347.2K

135.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,544 $3,544

$1,967 ₡882.0K

80.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,705 $2,705

$1,288 ₡577.6K

109.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,825 $2,825

$2,274 ₡1.0M

24.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,801 $2,801

$1,831 ₡821.0K

53.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,994 $5,994

$1,016 ₡455.8K

489.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.62

-23.55%

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

Last update for Franklin, TN: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Franklin, TN

$1.8K 57.8%

San Jose

$774 40% 57.6% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Franklin, TN

$421 13.3%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 55% $231

Eating Out

Franklin, TN

$388 12.3%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 40.9% $159

Groceries & Markets

Franklin, TN

$287 * 9.1%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 39.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Franklin, TN

$158 5%

San Jose

$174 9% 10.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Franklin, TN

$76 2.4%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 15.7% $12

Getting Around

Franklin, TN

$4.1 * 0.1%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 1923% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,060 in Franklin, TN versus $927 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 490% higher in Franklin, TN, 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 $87.0 in Franklin, TN versus $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Franklin, TN vs $401 in San Jose – so Franklin, TN wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Franklin, TN

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

18:57 6:57 PM

1 h behind Franklin, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,454

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Franklin, TN San Jose 2,900 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Franklin, TN
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

Franklin, TN vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,159 in Franklin, TN, $1,938 in San Jose – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,739 per month in Franklin, TN and $2,907 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,159 in Franklin, TN and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 63%.

Kindergarten costs $395 per month in Franklin, TN and $1,001 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 $1,938, than in Franklin, TN at $3,159. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Franklin, TN 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 $1,938 in San Jose to $3,159 in Franklin, TN. 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, Franklin, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.