Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Garden Grove, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Garden Grove, CA: $1,412 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Jose outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

69

Cost of Living Index in Garden Grove, CA
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Garden Grove, CA Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Garden Grove, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,412

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,412 per month in Garden Grove, CA vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Garden Grove, CA $1,412
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $2,264 per month in Garden Grove, CA vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Garden Grove, CA $2,264
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Garden Grove, CA vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Garden Grove, CA $3,115
San Jose $3,934

Garden Grove, CA is about 27% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Garden Grove, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Garden Grove, CA by 5%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.44 $25.44

$12.38 ₡5,551

105.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 $77.4

$60.9 ₡27.3K

27.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.44 $11.44

$11.45 ₡5,135

-0.09%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$4.39 ₡1,967

27.79%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$2.70 ₡1,211

1.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.93 ₡864

1.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.42 $7.42

$3.20 ₡1,433

131.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.42 $9.42

$4.41 ₡1,979

113.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$2.44 ₡1,093

-52.46%

White Bread (500g)

$5.30 $5.30

$3.05 ₡1,369

73.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.41 ₡1,081

81.33%

Eggs

$5.03 $5.03

$3.40 ₡1,523

47.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.53 $12.53

$10.75 ₡4,823

16.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.63 $8.63

$10.43 ₡4,679

-17.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.19 $14.19

$13.99 ₡6,273

1.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$5.25 ₡2,353

-10.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.59 ₡712

7.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$4.69 ₡2,103

-14.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$3.95 ₡1,770

46.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$3.92 ₡1,760

-6.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.68 ₡1,651

-17.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.12 ₡503

91.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.19 ₡1,429

-30.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.48 $11.48

$6.00 ₡2,692

91.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.94 $14.94

$19.56 ₡8,771

-23.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.82 ₡1,263

-39.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.59 ₡1,611

-14.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.02 $5.02

$1.12 ₡503

348.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.6 $68.6

$66.8 ₡30.0K

2.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.50 ₡1,119

78.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.63 ₡733

15.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.49 $36.49

$8.50 ₡3,812

329.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.56 ₡701

-1.92%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

62.63%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-26.93%

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

$216 $216

$95.2 ₡42.7K

126.51%

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

$70.3 $70.3

$35.58 ₡16.0K

97.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$58.6 ₡26.3K

17.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.85 $14.85

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-79.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.03 $20.03

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-19.40%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 $15.09

$7.58 ₡3,401

99.08%

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

$1,189 $1,189

$1,001 ₡449.0K

18.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.3K $42.3K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

146.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 $61.7

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-12.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.80 $40.80

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-26.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 $81.5

$130 ₡58.2K

-37.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$131 ₡58.7K

-22.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,206 $2,206

$927 ₡415.8K

137.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,518 $3,518

$1,967 ₡882.0K

78.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,702 $4,702

$1,016 ₡455.8K

362.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

8.62

-26.80%

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

Last update for Garden Grove, CA: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Garden Grove, CA

$401 28.4%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 0% $0.1

Eating Out

Garden Grove, CA

$380 26.9%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 39.6% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Garden Grove, CA

$355 25.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 46.6% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Garden Grove, CA

$129 9.1%

San Jose

$174 9% 35.3% $45

Getting Around

Garden Grove, CA

$103 7.3%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 20.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Garden Grove, CA

$45 3.2%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 95.1% $43

Accommodation & Living

Garden Grove, CA

- * 0%

San Jose

$774 40%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,206 in Garden Grove, CA 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 363% higher in Garden Grove, CA, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Garden Grove, CA versus $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $401 in Garden Grove, CA vs $401 in San Jose – so Garden Grove, CA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Garden Grove, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

09:58 9:58 AM

10:58 10:58 AM

1 h ahead of Garden Grove, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,883

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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Highest

Between locations

Garden Grove, CA San Jose 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Garden Grove, CA
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

Garden Grove, CA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose costs about 37% more than Garden Grove, CA, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,118 per month in Garden Grove, CA 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 Garden Grove, CA, 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 $1,412 in Garden Grove, CA and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 37%.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Garden Grove, CA. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Garden Grove, CA, where all-in costs run around $1,412, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Garden Grove, CA it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Garden Grove, CA costs $1,412 versus $1,938 in San Jose. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Garden Grove, CA. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.