Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frederick, MD and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,533 in Frederick, MD, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Frederick, MD outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Frederick, MD
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Frederick, MD Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Frederick, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,533

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,533 in Frederick, MD versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Frederick, MD $2,533
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,869 in Frederick, MD versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Frederick, MD $3,869
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,204 in Frederick, MD versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Frederick, MD $5,204
San Jose $4,054

Living in Frederick, MD is roughly 20% 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: Frederick, MD 87% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 $18.17

$12.37 ₡5,563

46.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.9 $93.9

$62.4 ₡28.0K

50.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 $9.86

$11.71 ₡5,264

-15.80%

Cappuccino

$4.46 $4.46

$4.54 ₡2,040

-1.76%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$2.75 ₡1,238

7.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.86 ₡837

1.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 $6.09

$3.35 ₡1,505

81.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.28 $7.28

$4.32 ₡1,944

68.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.36 ₡1,061

-58.05%

White Bread (500g)

$4.50 $4.50

$3.07 ₡1,379

46.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.51 ₡1,128

76.49%

Eggs

$3.76 $3.76

$3.53 ₡1,585

6.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 $13.16

$10.54 ₡4,738

24.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.55 $11.55

$10.57 ₡4,754

9.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.70 $14.70

$13.92 ₡6,261

5.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$5.20 ₡2,338

5.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.65 ₡740

-8.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.89 ₡2,198

-10.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.84 ₡1,728

54.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$3.91 ₡1,757

-19.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.76 ₡1,692

3.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.12 ₡504

197.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.22 ₡1,447

-27.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.40 $9.40

$6.02 ₡2,706

56.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.53 $16.53

$19.84 ₡8,919

-16.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.81 ₡1,264

-36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.65 ₡1,643

-19.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.26 ₡1,018

75.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.78 ₡799

-29.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.34 $24.34

$7.90 ₡3,551

208.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.50 ₡673

-32.67%

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

$29.1K $29.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-13.16%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.99%

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

$107 $107

$93.2 ₡41.9K

15.00%

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

$46.88 $46.88

$36.13 ₡16.2K

29.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 $63.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

4.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.64 $43.64

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-36.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.81 $14.81

$7.67 ₡3,449

93.09%

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

$1,872 $1,872

$972 ₡436.9K

92.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K $14.0K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-25.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.14 $37.14

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-47.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.31 $36.31

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-35.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 $93.6

$129 ₡57.8K

-27.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 $97.4

$131 ₡58.8K

-25.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,483 $1,483

$1,170 ₡525.9K

26.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 $1,402

$943 ₡424.1K

48.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,285 $2,285

$1,984 ₡892.0K

15.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 $2,494

$1,400 ₡629.5K

78.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,494 $3,494

$2,681 ₡1.2M

30.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,051 $2,051

$2,037 ₡915.8K

0.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,825 $4,825

$987 ₡443.6K

389.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

8.62

-29.23%

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

Last update for Frederick, MD: 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

Frederick, MD

$1.4K 55.3%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 32.7% $458

Groceries & Markets

Frederick, MD

$419 16.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 3.9% $16

Eating Out

Frederick, MD

$293 11.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 20.6% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frederick, MD

$217 8.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 12.6% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Frederick, MD

$119 4.7%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 46.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Frederick, MD

$73 2.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 15% $11

Getting Around

Frederick, MD

$10 * 0.4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 687% $70

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 $1,483 in Frederick, MD and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frederick, MD pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $94 in Frederick, MD vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Frederick, MD

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

22:02 10:02 PM

1 h behind Frederick, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,237

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

Frederick, MD San Jose 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Frederick, MD
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

Frederick, MD vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,533 in Frederick, MD and $2,107 in San Jose, so San Jose is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Frederick, MD is about 4.9 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: $1,483 in Frederick, MD 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 4% higher in Frederick, MD. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,533 per month in Frederick, MD versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,533 in Frederick, MD, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Frederick, MD. 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, Frederick, MD on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.