Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hialeah, FL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,818 in Hialeah, FL, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Hialeah, FL
Learn more

Hialeah, FL Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Hialeah, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,818

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,818 in Hialeah, FL versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Hialeah, FL $2,818
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,417 in Hialeah, FL versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Hialeah, FL $4,417
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,017 in Hialeah, FL versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Hialeah, FL $6,017
San Jose $4,054

Living in Hialeah, FL is roughly 34% 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: Hialeah, FL 108% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.56 $30.56

$12.37 ₡5,563

147.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.7 $93.7

$62.4 ₡28.0K

50.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 $11.79

$11.71 ₡5,264

0.68%

Cappuccino

$5.42 $5.42

$4.54 ₡2,040

19.38%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$2.75 ₡1,238

-10.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.86 ₡837

-3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.43 $7.43

$3.35 ₡1,505

121.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.16 $10.16

$4.32 ₡1,944

135.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$2.36 ₡1,061

-55.08%

White Bread (500g)

$4.41 $4.41

$3.07 ₡1,379

43.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.51 ₡1,128

29.48%

Eggs

$4.51 $4.51

$3.53 ₡1,585

27.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.07 $13.07

$10.54 ₡4,738

24.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.22 $14.22

$10.57 ₡4,754

34.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.12 $22.12

$13.92 ₡6,261

58.91%

Apples (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$5.20 ₡2,338

2.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.65 ₡740

3.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$4.89 ₡2,198

-4.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$3.84 ₡1,728

41.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.91 ₡1,757

-18.16%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$3.76 ₡1,692

13.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.12 ₡504

163.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.22 ₡1,447

-23.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.52 $9.52

$6.02 ₡2,706

58.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.81 ₡1,264

-39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.65 ₡1,643

-10.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$169 $169

$65.2 ₡29.3K

158.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.26 ₡1,018

26.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.78 ₡799

12.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.30 $24.30

$7.90 ₡3,551

207.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.50 ₡673

-33.33%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

3.47%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.02%

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

$184 $184

$93.2 ₡41.9K

97.00%

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

$63.6 $63.6

$36.13 ₡16.2K

75.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

24.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.78 $19.78

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-71.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$9.81 $9.81

$7.67 ₡3,449

27.90%

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

$1,470 $1,470

$972 ₡436.9K

51.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.1K $32.1K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

70.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.9 $51.9

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-26.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.98 $41.98

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-25.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$129 ₡57.8K

-21.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$131 ₡58.8K

-14.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,744 $1,744

$1,170 ₡525.9K

49.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,268 $1,268

$943 ₡424.1K

34.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,198 $3,198

$1,984 ₡892.0K

61.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,506 $2,506

$1,400 ₡629.5K

78.95%

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)

$2,908 $2,908

$987 ₡443.6K

194.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

8.62

-23.90%

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

Last update for Hialeah, FL: 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

Hialeah, FL

$1.3K 45%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 25.6% $324

Groceries & Markets

Hialeah, FL

$449 15.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 10.4% $47

Eating Out

Hialeah, FL

$419 14.9%

San Jose

$232 11% 44.6% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hialeah, FL

$322 11.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 41.1% $132

Getting Around

Hialeah, FL

$182 * 6.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 55.6% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Hialeah, FL

$138 4.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 25.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Hialeah, FL

$39 1.4%

San Jose

$84 4% 114% $45

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 $1,744 in Hialeah, FL and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hialeah, FL pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $94 in Hialeah, FL vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $449 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hialeah, FL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

15:26 3:26 PM

1 h behind Hialeah, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

224,669

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hialeah, FL San Jose 1,820 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hialeah, FL
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

Hialeah, FL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Hialeah, FL is about 2.9 times higher, 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: $1,744 in Hialeah, FL versus $1,170 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 61% less than in Hialeah, FL. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,470 in Hialeah, FL versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,818 in Hialeah, FL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Hialeah, FL. 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 25% less than in Hialeah, FL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.