Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grants Pass, OR and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,370 in Grants Pass, OR, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Grants Pass, OR outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Grants Pass, OR
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Grants Pass, OR Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Grants Pass, OR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,370

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,370 in Grants Pass, OR versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Grants Pass, OR $2,370
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,203 in Grants Pass, OR versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Grants Pass, OR $3,203
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,037 in Grants Pass, OR versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Grants Pass, OR $4,037
San Jose $3,934

Living in Grants Pass, OR is roughly 22% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Grants Pass, OR 76% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.92 $14.92

$12.38 ₡5,551

20.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.11 $45.11

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-25.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 $8.94

$11.45 ₡5,135

-21.92%

Cappuccino

$4.07 $4.07

$4.39 ₡1,967

-7.29%

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

$2.02 $2.02

$2.70 ₡1,211

-25.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.93 ₡864

-49.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.20 ₡1,433

55.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 $3.98

$4.41 ₡1,979

-9.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.44 ₡1,093

-54.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.05 ₡1,369

-0.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.41 ₡1,081

66.80%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$3.40 ₡1,523

18.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.69 $14.69

$10.75 ₡4,823

36.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$10.43 ₡4,679

-46.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.14 $13.14

$13.99 ₡6,273

-6.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$5.25 ₡2,353

-5.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.59 ₡712

-19.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$4.69 ₡2,103

-17.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.95 ₡1,770

5.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$3.92 ₡1,760

-51.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$3.68 ₡1,651

-47.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.12 ₡503

58.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$3.19 ₡1,429

-33.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.71 $12.71

$6.00 ₡2,692

111.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$19.56 ₡8,771

-64.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.82 ₡1,263

-40.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.59 ₡1,611

-17.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.12 ₡503

-8.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.50 ₡1,119

44.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.63 ₡733

35.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.0 $51.0

$8.50 ₡3,812

499.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.56 ₡701

-22.44%

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

$33.4K $33.4K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

48.97%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-31.55%

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

$222 $222

$95.2 ₡42.7K

133.26%

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

$59.6 $59.6

$35.58 ₡16.0K

67.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.2 $80.2

$58.6 ₡26.3K

36.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 $8.23

$7.58 ₡3,401

8.58%

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

$1,085 $1,085

$1,001 ₡449.0K

8.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K $16.6K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-3.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 $56.1

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-20.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.94 $45.94

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-17.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 $84.9

$130 ₡58.2K

-34.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.4 $80.4

$131 ₡58.7K

-38.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 $1,228

$927 ₡415.8K

32.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 $1,288

$774 ₡347.2K

66.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,034 $2,034

$1,967 ₡882.0K

3.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,816 $1,816

$1,288 ₡577.6K

41.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,859 $2,859

$2,274 ₡1.0M

25.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,867 $2,867

$1,831 ₡821.0K

56.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,404 $2,404

$1,016 ₡455.8K

136.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.35

8.62

-26.33%

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

Last update for Grants Pass, OR: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grants Pass, OR

$1.3K 54.4%

San Jose

$774 40% 39.9% $514

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grants Pass, OR

$362 15.3%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 47.7% $173

Groceries & Markets

Grants Pass, OR

$324 13.7%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 23.6% $77

Eating Out

Grants Pass, OR

$240 10.1%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 4.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Grants Pass, OR

$120 5.1%

San Jose

$174 9% 44.8% $54

Getting Around

Grants Pass, OR

$19 * 0.8%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 337% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Grants Pass, OR

$16 * 0.7%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 434% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,228 in Grants Pass, OR and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grants Pass, OR pays 137% 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: $45.00 in Grants Pass, OR vs $61.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $401 per month, with Grants Pass, OR cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Grants Pass, OR

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

01:32 1:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

1 h ahead of Grants Pass, OR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,533

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Grants Pass, OR San Jose 5,250 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Grants Pass, OR
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

Grants Pass, OR vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grants Pass, OR and San Jose differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($2,370 vs $1,938 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 137% higher in Grants Pass, OR, 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: $1,228 in Grants Pass, OR versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Grants Pass, OR pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,370 per month in Grants Pass, OR versus $1,938 in San Jose – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,370 in Grants Pass, OR, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Grants Pass, OR. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Grants Pass, OR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.