Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galveston, TX and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,217 in Galveston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Galveston, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Galveston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,217

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,217 per month in Galveston, TX vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Galveston, TX $2,217
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $3,211 per month in Galveston, TX vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Galveston, TX $3,211
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $4,204 per month in Galveston, TX vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Galveston, TX $4,204
San Jose $3,934

Galveston, TX costs about 14% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Galveston, TX and San Jose sit above the global median – Galveston, TX by 64%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.68 $21.68

$12.38 ₡5,551

75.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 $77.0

$60.9 ₡27.3K

26.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$11.45 ₡5,135

5.68%

Cappuccino

$7.86 $7.86

$4.39 ₡1,967

79.04%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$2.70 ₡1,211

8.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.93 ₡864

-10.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.20 ₡1,433

53.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 $3.88

$4.41 ₡1,979

-12.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$2.44 ₡1,093

-66.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 $2.56

$3.05 ₡1,369

-16.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.41 ₡1,081

22.41%

Eggs

$2.84 $2.84

$3.40 ₡1,523

-16.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.15 $11.15

$10.75 ₡4,823

3.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 $9.60

$10.43 ₡4,679

-7.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.32 $13.32

$13.99 ₡6,273

-4.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$5.25 ₡2,353

6.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.59 ₡712

-2.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$4.69 ₡2,103

-33.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.95 ₡1,770

-2.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$3.92 ₡1,760

-45.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.68 ₡1,651

-30.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.12 ₡503

57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$3.19 ₡1,429

-42.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.49 $8.49

$6.00 ₡2,692

41.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.29 $11.29

$19.56 ₡8,771

-42.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.82 ₡1,263

-39.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$3.59 ₡1,611

-50.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.12 ₡503

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.52 $32.52

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-51.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.11 $10.11

$2.50 ₡1,119

304.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.63 ₡733

12.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.9 $59.9

$8.50 ₡3,812

605.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.56 ₡701

-41.03%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

31.31%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-29.11%

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

$179 $179

$95.2 ₡42.7K

87.82%

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

$42.34 $42.34

$35.58 ₡16.0K

19.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.66 $39.66

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-32.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.15 $34.15

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-53.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$11.58 $11.58

$7.58 ₡3,401

52.77%

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

$746 $746

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-25.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K $18.0K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

5.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.83 $42.83

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-39.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.03 $39.03

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-30.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 $71.5

$130 ₡58.2K

-44.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.9 $80.9

$131 ₡58.7K

-38.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 $1,167

$927 ₡415.8K

25.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 $1,057

$774 ₡347.2K

36.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,119 $2,119

$1,967 ₡882.0K

7.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 $1,579

$1,288 ₡577.6K

22.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,739 $2,739

$2,274 ₡1.0M

20.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,177 $2,177

$1,831 ₡821.0K

18.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,172 $4,172

$1,016 ₡455.8K

310.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Galveston, 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

Galveston, TX

$1.1K 47.7%

San Jose

$774 40% 26.7% $282

Eating Out

Galveston, TX

$355 16%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 35.4% $126

Groceries & Markets

Galveston, TX

$322 14.5%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 24.4% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galveston, TX

$261 11.8%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 27.4% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Galveston, TX

$105 4.8%

San Jose

$174 9% 65.2% $69

Getting Around

Galveston, TX

$60 2.7%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 37.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Galveston, TX

$57 2.6%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 53.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,167 in Galveston, TX 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 311% higher in Galveston, TX, 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 $77.0 in Galveston, TX versus $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $322 in Galveston, TX vs $401 in San Jose – so Galveston, TX wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Galveston, TX

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

22:05 10:05 PM

1 h behind Galveston, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,695

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Galveston, TX San Jose 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Galveston, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,217 in Galveston, TX, $1,938 in San Jose – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,326 per month in Galveston, TX 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 $2,217 in Galveston, TX and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 14%.

Public transport costs about 105% less in San Jose. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,938, than in Galveston, TX at $2,217. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Galveston, TX 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 $2,217 in Galveston, TX. 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, Galveston, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.