Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Holland, MI and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,451 in Holland, MI, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Holland, MI outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

118

Cost of Living Index in Holland, MI
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Holland, MI Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

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Holland, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,451

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,451 in Holland, MI versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Holland, MI $2,451
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,409 in Holland, MI versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Holland, MI $3,409
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,366 in Holland, MI versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Holland, MI $4,366
San Jose $4,054

Living in Holland, MI is roughly 16% 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: Holland, MI 81% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.48 $15.48

$12.37 ₡5,563

25.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.9 $58.9

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-5.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 $11.83

$11.71 ₡5,264

1.02%

Cappuccino

$4.98 $4.98

$4.54 ₡2,040

9.69%

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

$2.03 $2.03

$2.75 ₡1,238

-26.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.86 ₡837

11.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.35 ₡1,505

76.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 $8.23

$4.32 ₡1,944

90.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.36 ₡1,061

-63.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 $2.20

$3.07 ₡1,379

-28.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.51 ₡1,128

-22.31%

Eggs

$3.13 $3.13

$3.53 ₡1,585

-11.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 $17.44

$10.54 ₡4,738

65.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.31 $6.31

$10.57 ₡4,754

-40.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$13.92 ₡6,261

1.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$5.20 ₡2,338

-31.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.65 ₡740

-36.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$4.89 ₡2,198

-38.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$3.84 ₡1,728

17.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$3.91 ₡1,757

-40.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.76 ₡1,692

-23.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.12 ₡504

90.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$3.22 ₡1,447

-38.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.14 $9.14

$6.02 ₡2,706

51.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.81 ₡1,264

-25.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 $1.37

$3.65 ₡1,643

-62.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.08 ₡487

4.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.92 $33.92

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-48.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.26 ₡1,018

29.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.78 ₡799

-12.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.10 $26.10

$7.90 ₡3,551

230.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.50 ₡673

-39.33%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-11.58%

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

$23.7K $23.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-43.85%

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

$180 $180

$93.2 ₡41.9K

93.14%

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

$37.07 $37.07

$36.13 ₡16.2K

2.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.4 $72.4

$60.6 ₡27.2K

19.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.46 $29.46

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-57.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 $10.52

$7.67 ₡3,449

37.16%

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

$829 $829

$972 ₡436.9K

-14.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K $19.6K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

3.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.91 $46.91

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-33.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.44 $32.44

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-42.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 $75.5

$129 ₡57.8K

-41.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.1 $81.1

$131 ₡58.8K

-38.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 $1,307

$1,170 ₡525.9K

11.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 $1,350

$943 ₡424.1K

43.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,091 $2,091

$1,984 ₡892.0K

5.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,007 $2,007

$1,400 ₡629.5K

43.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,471 $2,471

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-7.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,470 $2,470

$2,037 ₡915.8K

21.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,752 $3,752

$987 ₡443.6K

280.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

8.62

-30.97%

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

Last update for Holland, MI: 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

Holland, MI

$1.4K 55.1%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 30.1% $407

Groceries & Markets

Holland, MI

$324 13.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 24.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Holland, MI

$289 11.8%

San Jose

$190 9% 34.4% $100

Eating Out

Holland, MI

$282 11.5%

San Jose

$232 11% 17.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Holland, MI

$106 4.3%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 63.9% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Holland, MI

$50 2.1%

San Jose

$84 4% 66.9% $34

Getting Around

Holland, MI

$49 2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 64.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,307 in Holland, MI and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Holland, MI pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $59 in Holland, MI vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $403 per month, with Holland, MI cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Holland, MI

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

11:22 11:22 AM

1 h behind Holland, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,378

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 →

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Between locations

Holland, MI San Jose 3,660 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Holland, MI
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

Holland, MI vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Holland, MI is about 3.8 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: $1,307 in Holland, MI versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Holland, MI pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Holland, MI – a meal for two runs $59 versus $62 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Holland, MI on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.