Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gloucester, MA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,837 in Gloucester, MA, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Gloucester, MA
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Gloucester, MA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Gloucester, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,837

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,837 per month in Gloucester, MA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Gloucester, MA $2,837
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,132 per month in Gloucester, MA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Gloucester, MA $4,132
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,426 per month in Gloucester, MA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Gloucester, MA $5,426
San Jose $4,054

Gloucester, MA costs about 35% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Gloucester, MA and San Jose sit above the global median – Gloucester, MA by 110%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.07 $19.07

$12.37 ₡5,563

54.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 $72.6

$62.4 ₡28.0K

16.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 $11.23

$11.71 ₡5,264

-4.10%

Cappuccino

$4.62 $4.62

$4.54 ₡2,040

1.76%

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

$2.33 $2.33

$2.75 ₡1,238

-15.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.86 ₡837

6.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 $6.60

$3.35 ₡1,505

97.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 $6.86

$4.32 ₡1,944

58.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.36 ₡1,061

-57.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 $3.53

$3.07 ₡1,379

14.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.51 ₡1,128

69.72%

Eggs

$4.07 $4.07

$3.53 ₡1,585

15.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.54 ₡4,738

16.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.76 $11.76

$10.57 ₡4,754

11.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.20 $17.20

$13.92 ₡6,261

23.56%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$5.20 ₡2,338

-3.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.65 ₡740

1.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.89 ₡2,198

-10.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$3.84 ₡1,728

23.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$3.91 ₡1,757

-28.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.76 ₡1,692

-23.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.12 ₡504

96.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.22 ₡1,447

-31.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.23 $10.23

$6.02 ₡2,706

69.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.81 ₡1,264

-26.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.65 ₡1,643

-0.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.08 ₡487

89.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.2 $59.2

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-9.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.26 ₡1,018

55.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.78 ₡799

10.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.18 $34.18

$7.90 ₡3,551

332.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.50 ₡673

-25.33%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-8.42%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-29.93%

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

$198 $198

$93.2 ₡41.9K

112.55%

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

$58.8 $58.8

$36.13 ₡16.2K

62.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.8 $70.8

$60.6 ₡27.2K

16.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.79 $40.79

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-40.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.04 $13.04

$7.67 ₡3,449

70.01%

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

$1,307 $1,307

$972 ₡436.9K

34.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K $18.5K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-1.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-23.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.76 $41.76

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-26.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 $148

$129 ₡57.8K

15.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$131 ₡58.8K

-13.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 $1,761

$1,170 ₡525.9K

50.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 $1,496

$943 ₡424.1K

58.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,041 $3,041

$1,984 ₡892.0K

53.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$1,400 ₡629.5K

77.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,715 $2,715

$2,681 ₡1.2M

1.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,439 $2,439

$2,037 ₡915.8K

19.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,429 $2,429

$987 ₡443.6K

146.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.62

-23.55%

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

Last update for Gloucester, MA: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gloucester, MA

$1.5K 52.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 37% $553

Groceries & Markets

Gloucester, MA

$399 14.1%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 0.9% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gloucester, MA

$328 11.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 42.1% $138

Eating Out

Gloucester, MA

$306 10.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 24% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Gloucester, MA

$161 5.7%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 8.4% $14

Getting Around

Gloucester, MA

$81 2.8%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 0% $0

Sport & Entertainment

Gloucester, MA

$67 2.4%

San Jose

$84 4% 26% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,761 in Gloucester, MA versus $1,170 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 in Gloucester, MA are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Gloucester, MA versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $399 in Gloucester, MA vs $403 in San Jose – so Gloucester, MA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Gloucester, MA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

00:51 12:51 AM

1 h behind Gloucester, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,729

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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

Gloucester, MA San Jose 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Gloucester, MA
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

Gloucester, MA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Gloucester, MA is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,255 per month in Gloucester, MA and $3,161 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,761 in Gloucester, MA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Gloucester, MA and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Gloucester, MA. 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 $2,107, than in Gloucester, MA at $2,837. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gloucester, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gloucester, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.