Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Herndon, VA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,235 in Herndon, VA, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Herndon, VA
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Herndon, VA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Herndon, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,235

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,235 per month in Herndon, VA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Herndon, VA $3,235
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,889 per month in Herndon, VA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Herndon, VA $4,889
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $6,544 per month in Herndon, VA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Herndon, VA $6,544
San Jose $4,054

Herndon, VA costs about 54% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Herndon, VA and San Jose sit above the global median – Herndon, VA by 139%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.13 $24.13

$12.37 ₡5,563

95.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$62.4 ₡28.0K

61.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 $10.78

$11.71 ₡5,264

-7.94%

Cappuccino

$5.81 $5.81

$4.54 ₡2,040

27.97%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$2.75 ₡1,238

7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.86 ₡837

34.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.09 $8.09

$3.35 ₡1,505

141.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.12 $9.12

$4.32 ₡1,944

111.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.36 ₡1,061

-47.46%

White Bread (500g)

$4.05 $4.05

$3.07 ₡1,379

31.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$2.51 ₡1,128

119.92%

Eggs

$5.30 $5.30

$3.53 ₡1,585

50.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.80 $16.80

$10.54 ₡4,738

59.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.60 $15.60

$10.57 ₡4,754

47.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.73 $18.73

$13.92 ₡6,261

34.55%

Apples (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$5.20 ₡2,338

5.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.65 ₡740

11.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$4.89 ₡2,198

-2.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$3.84 ₡1,728

54.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.91 ₡1,757

-26.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.76 ₡1,692

-0.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.12 ₡504

111.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$3.22 ₡1,447

-23.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.50 $9.50

$6.02 ₡2,706

57.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.27 $16.27

$19.84 ₡8,919

-17.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.81 ₡1,264

3.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.65 ₡1,643

-22.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.08 ₡487

137.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.52 $29.52

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-54.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.26 ₡1,018

73.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.78 ₡799

-12.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.90 $24.90

$7.90 ₡3,551

215.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.50 ₡673

-32.67%

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

$32.6K $32.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-2.61%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.54%

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

$165 $165

$93.2 ₡41.9K

76.81%

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

$79.4 $79.4

$36.13 ₡16.2K

119.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.7 $68.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

13.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 $55.3

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-19.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.07 $10.07

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-59.62%

Cinema Ticket

$16.68 $16.68

$7.67 ₡3,449

117.47%

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

$1,859 $1,859

$972 ₡436.9K

91.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K $23.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

23.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 $67.8

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-4.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.72 $44.72

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-21.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$129 ₡57.8K

-19.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$131 ₡58.8K

-3.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,168 $2,168

$1,170 ₡525.9K

85.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 $1,776

$943 ₡424.1K

88.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,285 $3,285

$1,984 ₡892.0K

65.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 $3,156

$1,400 ₡629.5K

125.43%

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)

$5,475 $5,475

$987 ₡443.6K

454.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

8.62

-20.42%

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

Last update for Herndon, VA: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Herndon, VA

$1.8K 54.9%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 46.9% $833

Groceries & Markets

Herndon, VA

$476 14.7%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 15.3% $73

Eating Out

Herndon, VA

$376 11.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 38.1% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Herndon, VA

$313 9.7%

San Jose

$190 9% 39.3% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Herndon, VA

$154 4.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 12.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Herndon, VA

$89 2.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 5% $4.4

Getting Around

Herndon, VA

$51 1.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 56.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,168 in Herndon, VA 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 Herndon, VA are about 5.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Herndon, VA versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $476 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Herndon, VA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

09:07 9:07 AM

1 h behind Herndon, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,655

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

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Between locations

Herndon, VA San Jose 3,300 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Herndon, VA
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

Herndon, VA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,235 in Herndon, VA, $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,852 per month in Herndon, VA 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 $2,168 in Herndon, VA.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Herndon, VA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Herndon, VA and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Herndon, VA at $3,235. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Herndon, VA 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, Herndon, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.