Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frisco, TX and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,780 in Frisco, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Frisco, TX
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Frisco, TX Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Frisco, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,780

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,780 in Frisco, TX versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Frisco, TX $2,780
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,145 in Frisco, TX versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Frisco, TX $4,145
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,511 in Frisco, TX versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Frisco, TX $5,511
San Jose $3,934

Living in Frisco, TX is roughly 43% 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: Frisco, TX 106% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.22 $15.22

$12.38 ₡5,551

22.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 $78.6

$60.9 ₡27.3K

29.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 $10.88

$11.45 ₡5,135

-4.98%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$4.39 ₡1,967

21.87%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$2.70 ₡1,211

-1.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.93 ₡864

18.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 $7.03

$3.20 ₡1,433

119.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.90 $8.90

$4.41 ₡1,979

101.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.44 ₡1,093

-58.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.05 ₡1,369

14.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.41 ₡1,081

48.96%

Eggs

$4.25 $4.25

$3.40 ₡1,523

25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.14 $13.14

$10.75 ₡4,823

22.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 $10.65

$10.43 ₡4,679

2.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.39 $19.39

$13.99 ₡6,273

38.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$5.25 ₡2,353

-7.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.59 ₡712

-17.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$4.69 ₡2,103

-34.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.95 ₡1,770

3.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$3.92 ₡1,760

-15.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.68 ₡1,651

-19.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.12 ₡503

83.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$3.19 ₡1,429

-22.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.59 $9.59

$6.00 ₡2,692

59.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 $13.91

$19.56 ₡8,771

-28.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.82 ₡1,263

-37.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.59 ₡1,611

-9.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.96 $4.96

$1.12 ₡503

342.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.3 $81.3

$66.8 ₡30.0K

21.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.50 ₡1,119

7.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.63 ₡733

-24.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$8.50 ₡3,812

248.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.56 ₡701

-39.10%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

56.51%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-25.74%

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

$243 $243

$95.2 ₡42.7K

155.06%

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

$66.8 $66.8

$35.58 ₡16.0K

87.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.3 $63.3

$58.6 ₡26.3K

8.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.85 $41.85

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-42.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.95 $11.95

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-51.91%

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$7.58 ₡3,401

96.97%

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

$1,563 $1,563

$1,001 ₡449.0K

56.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

38.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 $52.9

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-25.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.40 $40.40

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-27.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 $74.7

$130 ₡58.2K

-42.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$131 ₡58.7K

6.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 $1,722

$927 ₡415.8K

85.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 $1,407

$774 ₡347.2K

81.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,458 $3,458

$1,967 ₡882.0K

75.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 $2,513

$1,288 ₡577.6K

95.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,189 $3,189

$2,274 ₡1.0M

40.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,383 $2,383

$1,831 ₡821.0K

30.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,839 $6,839

$1,016 ₡455.8K

572.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Frisco, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frisco, TX

$1.4K 50.6%

San Jose

$774 40% 45% $633

Groceries & Markets

Frisco, TX

$389 14%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 3.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frisco, TX

$373 13.4%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 49.2% $184

Eating Out

Frisco, TX

$291 10.5%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 21.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Frisco, TX

$138 5%

San Jose

$174 9% 26.1% $36

Getting Around

Frisco, TX

$110 4%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 25.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Frisco, TX

$72 2.6%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 22.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,722 in Frisco, TX and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frisco, TX pays 573% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Frisco, TX vs $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $389 vs $401, with Frisco, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Frisco, TX

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:39 12:39 PM

11:39 11:39 AM

1 h behind Frisco, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

873,965

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Frisco, TX San Jose 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Frisco, TX
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

Frisco, TX vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Frisco, TX and San Jose differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($2,780 vs $1,938 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 573% higher in Frisco, TX, 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: $1,722 in Frisco, TX versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Frisco, TX pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $79.0 in Frisco, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,780 in Frisco, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Frisco, TX. 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Frisco, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.