Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Golden, CO and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,432 in Golden, CO, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Golden, CO
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Golden, CO Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Golden, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,432

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,432 per month in Golden, CO vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Golden, CO $3,432
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,162 per month in Golden, CO vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Golden, CO $3,162
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $2,891 per month in Golden, CO vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Golden, CO $2,891
San Jose $4,054

Golden, CO costs about 63% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Golden, CO and San Jose sit above the global median – Golden, CO by 154%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.14 $20.14

$12.37 ₡5,563

62.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 $67.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

7.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 $12.08

$11.71 ₡5,264

3.16%

Cappuccino

$5.52 $5.52

$4.54 ₡2,040

21.59%

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

$2.75 $2.75

$2.75 ₡1,238

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.86 ₡837

9.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.35 ₡1,505

74.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.99 $6.99

$4.32 ₡1,944

61.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.36 ₡1,061

-58.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.30 $3.30

$3.07 ₡1,379

7.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.51 ₡1,128

70.12%

Eggs

$2.94 $2.94

$3.53 ₡1,585

-16.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 $14.95

$10.54 ₡4,738

41.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.44 $13.44

$10.57 ₡4,754

27.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.31 $17.31

$13.92 ₡6,261

24.35%

Apples (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$5.20 ₡2,338

3.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.65 ₡740

-22.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$4.89 ₡2,198

-10.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.84 ₡1,728

20.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$3.91 ₡1,757

-35.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$3.76 ₡1,692

-30.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.12 ₡504

106.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$3.22 ₡1,447

-40.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.40 $10.40

$6.02 ₡2,706

72.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.90 $18.90

$19.84 ₡8,919

-4.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.81 ₡1,264

21.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.65 ₡1,643

28.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.08 ₡487

143.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.26 ₡1,018

67.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.78 ₡799

-13.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.33 $25.33

$7.90 ₡3,551

220.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.50 ₡673

-29.33%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.81%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.95%

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

$199 $199

$93.2 ₡41.9K

113.64%

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

$93.9 $93.9

$36.13 ₡16.2K

159.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

15.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.3 $59.3

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-13.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 $15.22

$7.67 ₡3,449

98.44%

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

$1,543 $1,543

$972 ₡436.9K

58.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.1K $21.1K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

11.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 $59.0

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-16.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.95 $24.95

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-55.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 $80.4

$129 ₡57.8K

-37.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$131 ₡58.8K

-22.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,206 $2,206

$1,170 ₡525.9K

88.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,091 $2,091

$943 ₡424.1K

121.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

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

Last update for Golden, CO: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Golden, CO

$2.1K 61%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 54.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Golden, CO

$420 12.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 4.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Golden, CO

$363 10.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 47.7% $173

Eating Out

Golden, CO

$326 9.5%

San Jose

$232 11% 28.7% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Golden, CO

$120 3.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 45.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Golden, CO

$90 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 6.1% $5.5

Getting Around

Golden, CO

$22 * 0.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 266% $59

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 Golden, CO 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Golden, CO versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $420 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Golden, CO

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

08:25 8:25 AM

09:25 9:25 AM

1 h ahead of Golden, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,399

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 = 0.89 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Golden, CO San Jose 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Golden, CO
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

Golden, CO vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,432 in Golden, CO, $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose comes out roughly 39% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,148 per month in Golden, CO 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 $2,206 in Golden, CO.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,432 in Golden, CO and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 39% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,543 per month in Golden, CO and $972 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 $2,107, than in Golden, CO at $3,432. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Golden, CO 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.