Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glendale, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $3,660 in Glendale, CA, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

177

Cost of Living Index in Glendale, CA
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Glendale, CA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Glendale, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,660

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,660 in Glendale, CA versus $1,949 in San Jose.

Glendale, CA $3,660
San Jose $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,572 in Glendale, CA versus $2,903 in San Jose.

Glendale, CA $4,572
San Jose $2,903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,484 in Glendale, CA versus $3,857 in San Jose.

Glendale, CA $5,484
San Jose $3,857

Living in Glendale, CA is roughly 88% 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: Glendale, CA 173% above, San Jose 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.31 $25.31

$12.22 ₡5,510

107.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.7 $77.7

$60.1 ₡27.1K

29.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.98 $14.98

$11.77 ₡5,305

27.27%

Cappuccino

$5.99 $5.99

$4.30 ₡1,939

39.30%

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

$3.13 $3.13

$2.72 ₡1,226

15.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.84 ₡830

26.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.30 $7.30

$3.28 ₡1,480

122.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.95 $9.95

$4.36 ₡1,966

128.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 $1.40

$2.38 ₡1,074

-41.18%

White Bread (500g)

$4.68 $4.68

$3.12 ₡1,408

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.41 ₡1,086

87.97%

Eggs

$5.93 $5.93

$3.47 ₡1,564

70.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.51 $11.51

$10.57 ₡4,767

8.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.60 $8.60

$10.56 ₡4,758

-18.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.76 $19.76

$13.75 ₡6,196

43.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$5.04 ₡2,274

-3.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.61 ₡727

37.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$4.59 ₡2,069

-10.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$3.84 ₡1,731

49.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.77 ₡1,700

-15.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.76 ₡1,693

-21.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.12 ₡506

78.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.20 ₡1,441

-20.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.58 $11.58

$5.84 ₡2,632

98.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$19.73 ₡8,897

-25.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.75 ₡1,240

-10.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.66 ₡1,650

-27.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.12 ₡503

76.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.3 $90.3

$65.1 ₡29.4K

38.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.46 ₡1,110

26.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.54 ₡692

18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.37 $32.37

$8.46 ₡3,815

282.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.55 ₡699

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

$36.9K $36.9K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

70.15%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-25.93%

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

$220 $220

$94.7 ₡42.7K

131.83%

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

$78.7 $78.7

$35.11 ₡15.8K

124.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.7 $72.7

$58.6 ₡26.4K

24.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.01 $39.01

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-45.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$19.61 $19.61

$7.83 ₡3,532

150.45%

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

$1,159 $1,159

$971 ₡437.9K

19.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.4K $32.4K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

90.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 $62.1

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-13.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.28 $48.28

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-11.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 $118

$129 ₡58.2K

-8.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 $196

$133 ₡60.0K

47.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 $1,577

$934 ₡420.9K

68.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 $2,051

$770 ₡347.2K

166.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 $2,514

$1,945 ₡876.7K

29.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,123 $2,123

$1,316 ₡593.5K

61.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,423 $2,423

$2,277 ₡1.0M

6.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,235 $2,235

$1,795 ₡809.1K

24.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,078 $5,078

$1,006 ₡453.5K

404.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

8.62

-24.25%

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

Last update for Glendale, CA: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glendale, CA

$2.1K 56.6%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 62.5% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Glendale, CA

$423 11.7%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 5.7% $24

Eating Out

Glendale, CA

$398 11%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 42.6% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glendale, CA

$371 10.2%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 49.2% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Glendale, CA

$191 5.3%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 8.5% $16

Getting Around

Glendale, CA

$110 3.1%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 27.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Glendale, CA

$78 2.2%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 12.3% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,577 in Glendale, CA and $934 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Glendale, CA pays 405% 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: $78.0 in Glendale, CA vs $60.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $423 vs $399 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Glendale, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

21:07 9:07 PM

22:07 10:07 PM

1 h ahead of Glendale, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,831

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Glendale, CA San Jose 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Glendale, 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

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

San Jose is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 88% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 405% higher in Glendale, CA, 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: $1,577 in Glendale, CA versus $934 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 39% less than in Glendale, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,159 in Glendale, CA versus $971 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,949 in San Jose versus $3,660 in Glendale, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Glendale, CA. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Glendale, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Glendale, CA and San Jose are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Glendale, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.