Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Freehold, NJ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,449 in Freehold, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Freehold, NJ
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Freehold, NJ Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Freehold, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,449

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,449 per month in Freehold, NJ vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Freehold, NJ $2,449
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,828 per month in Freehold, NJ vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Freehold, NJ $3,828
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,207 per month in Freehold, NJ vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Freehold, NJ $5,207
San Jose $4,054

Freehold, NJ costs about 16% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Freehold, NJ and San Jose sit above the global median – Freehold, NJ by 81%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.71 $19.71

$12.37 ₡5,563

59.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 $69.2

$62.4 ₡28.0K

10.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 $11.34

$11.71 ₡5,264

-3.16%

Cappuccino

$4.61 $4.61

$4.54 ₡2,040

1.54%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$2.75 ₡1,238

-16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.86 ₡837

1.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.11 $6.11

$3.35 ₡1,505

82.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.32 $6.32

$4.32 ₡1,944

46.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.36 ₡1,061

-55.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.07 ₡1,379

13.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.51 ₡1,128

76.89%

Eggs

$4.16 $4.16

$3.53 ₡1,585

17.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.20 $12.20

$10.54 ₡4,738

15.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.85 $11.85

$10.57 ₡4,754

12.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.01 $17.01

$13.92 ₡6,261

22.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$5.20 ₡2,338

-5.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.65 ₡740

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$4.89 ₡2,198

-12.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.84 ₡1,728

24.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.91 ₡1,757

-29.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.76 ₡1,692

-19.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.12 ₡504

90.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.22 ₡1,447

-31.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.95 $9.95

$6.02 ₡2,706

65.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.81 ₡1,264

-32.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.65 ₡1,643

-8.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.08 ₡487

82.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.9 $62.9

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-3.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.26 ₡1,018

46.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.78 ₡799

-4.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.95 $32.95

$7.90 ₡3,551

317.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.50 ₡673

-33.33%

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

$31.0K $31.0K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-7.24%

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

$22.4K $22.4K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-47.07%

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

$177 $177

$93.2 ₡41.9K

89.58%

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

$57.4 $57.4

$36.13 ₡16.2K

58.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

15.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.63 $40.63

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-41.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.15 $14.15

$7.67 ₡3,449

84.49%

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

$1,369 $1,369

$972 ₡436.9K

40.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K $20.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

7.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 $53.3

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-24.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.87 $40.87

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-27.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 $87.7

$129 ₡57.8K

-31.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$131 ₡58.8K

-11.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 $1,608

$1,170 ₡525.9K

37.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 $1,155

$943 ₡424.1K

22.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 $2,529

$1,984 ₡892.0K

27.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 $2,362

$1,400 ₡629.5K

68.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,873 $2,873

$2,681 ₡1.2M

7.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,337 $2,337

$2,037 ₡915.8K

14.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,768 $3,768

$987 ₡443.6K

281.90%

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 Freehold, NJ: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Freehold, NJ

$1.2K 47.2%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 18.3% $211

Groceries & Markets

Freehold, NJ

$398 16.3%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 1.2% $4.7

Eating Out

Freehold, NJ

$307 12.5%

San Jose

$232 11% 24.3% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Freehold, NJ

$304 12.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 37.5% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Freehold, NJ

$134 5.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 29.9% $40

Getting Around

Freehold, NJ

$83 3.4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 2.3% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Freehold, NJ

$69 2.8%

San Jose

$84 4% 22.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Freehold, NJ versus $1,170 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 in Freehold, NJ are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Freehold, NJ versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $398 in Freehold, NJ vs $403 in San Jose – so Freehold, NJ wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Freehold, NJ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:40 4:40 PM

15:40 3:40 PM

1 h behind Freehold, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,394

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Freehold, NJ San Jose 3,510 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Freehold, NJ
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

Freehold, NJ vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Freehold, NJ is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,673 per month in Freehold, NJ and $3,161 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,608 in Freehold, NJ.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Freehold, NJ and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Freehold, NJ. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Freehold, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.