Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva, IL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,350 in Geneva, IL, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Geneva, IL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Geneva, IL
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Geneva, IL Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Geneva, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,350

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,350 per month in Geneva, IL vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Geneva, IL $2,350
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,481 per month in Geneva, IL vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Geneva, IL $3,481
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $4,612 per month in Geneva, IL vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Geneva, IL $4,612
San Jose $3,929

Geneva, IL costs about 22% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Geneva, IL and San Jose sit above the global median – Geneva, IL by 73%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.21 $14.21

$12.29 ₡5,513

15.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 $68.2

$62.3 ₡27.9K

9.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 $12.13

$11.53 ₡5,171

5.20%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$4.35 ₡1,953

23.68%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$2.64 ₡1,183

14.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.86 ₡836

23.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.15 $6.15

$3.32 ₡1,490

85.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.01 $8.01

$4.52 ₡2,026

77.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$2.39 ₡1,073

-67.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.08 ₡1,381

-11.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.50 ₡1,119

16.80%

Eggs

$3.44 $3.44

$3.48 ₡1,562

-1.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.63 $7.63

$10.74 ₡4,815

-28.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.55 $11.55

$10.32 ₡4,629

11.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.52 $10.52

$14.10 ₡6,325

-25.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$5.03 ₡2,256

-6.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.59 ₡714

3.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$4.84 ₡2,171

-25.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$3.96 ₡1,776

22.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$3.76 ₡1,684

-52.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.73 ₡1,674

-20.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.08 ₡485

48.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$3.25 ₡1,456

-25.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.69 $10.69

$5.86 ₡2,627

82.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 $8.08

$20.28 ₡9,095

-60.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.73 ₡1,673

19.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.08 ₡486

103.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.50 ₡1,123

64.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.63 ₡732

23.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.12 $44.12

$8.71 ₡3,904

406.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.58 ₡709

-31.01%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-26.13%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-37.82%

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

$176 $176

$93.7 ₡42.0K

87.58%

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

$52.6 $52.6

$35.42 ₡15.9K

48.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.1 $67.1

$60.0 ₡26.9K

11.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.52 $35.52

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-51.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$11.86 $11.86

$7.74 ₡3,471

53.23%

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

$1,528 $1,528

$1,005 ₡450.9K

51.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

41.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-23.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-8.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 $88.3

$128 ₡57.5K

-31.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$130 ₡58.5K

-6.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,820 $1,820

$932 ₡418.0K

95.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 $1,221

$760 ₡340.8K

60.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,229 $2,229

$1,922 ₡862.0K

15.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 $2,128

$1,276 ₡572.1K

66.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,121 $3,121

$2,301 ₡1.0M

35.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,190 $2,190

$1,833 ₡821.9K

19.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

8.62

-25.41%

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

Last update for Geneva, IL: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva, IL

$1.2K 52%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 37.8% $461

Groceries & Markets

Geneva, IL

$326 13.9%

San Jose

$403 21% 23.7% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva, IL

$295 12.6%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 36% $106

Eating Out

Geneva, IL

$283 12%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 19.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva, IL

$143 6.1%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 22.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva, IL

$59 2.5%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 48.7% $29

Getting Around

Geneva, IL

$23 * 1%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 250% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,820 in Geneva, IL versus $932 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Geneva, IL versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $326 in Geneva, IL vs $403 in San Jose – so Geneva, IL wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Geneva, IL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

21:54 9:54 PM

1 h behind Geneva, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,812

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Geneva, IL San Jose 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Geneva, IL
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

Geneva, IL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,350 in Geneva, IL, $1,924 in San Jose – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,524 per month in Geneva, IL and $2,886 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 $2,350 in Geneva, IL and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 22%.

Kindergarten costs $1,528 per month in Geneva, IL and $1,005 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Geneva, IL at $2,350. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Geneva, IL 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 $1,924 in San Jose to $2,350 in Geneva, IL. 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, Geneva, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.