Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houghton, MI and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,648 in Houghton, MI, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Houghton, MI outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

124

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Houghton, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,648

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,648 in Houghton, MI versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Houghton, MI $2,648
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,775 in Houghton, MI versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Houghton, MI $3,775
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,903 in Houghton, MI versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Houghton, MI $4,903
San Jose $4,054

Living in Houghton, MI is roughly 26% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Houghton, MI 96% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.23 $14.23

$12.37 ₡5,563

15.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.38 $40.38

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-35.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 $10.43

$11.71 ₡5,264

-10.93%

Cappuccino

$4.21 $4.21

$4.54 ₡2,040

-7.27%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$2.75 ₡1,238

-0.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.86 ₡837

-13.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 $6.08

$3.35 ₡1,505

81.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.33 $7.33

$4.32 ₡1,944

69.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.36 ₡1,061

-56.36%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.07 ₡1,379

36.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.60 $6.60

$2.51 ₡1,128

162.95%

Eggs

$3.88 $3.88

$3.53 ₡1,585

9.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 $12.37

$10.54 ₡4,738

17.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.78 $10.78

$10.57 ₡4,754

1.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.84 $10.84

$13.92 ₡6,261

-22.13%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$5.20 ₡2,338

-0.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.65 ₡740

-30.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.89 ₡2,198

-10.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$3.84 ₡1,728

21.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.91 ₡1,757

-29.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.76 ₡1,692

-23.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.12 ₡504

88.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$3.22 ₡1,447

-54.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.16 $10.16

$6.02 ₡2,706

68.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.81 ₡1,264

-32.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.65 ₡1,643

-8.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.08 ₡487

97.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.6 $58.6

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-10.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.26 ₡1,018

31.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.78 ₡799

12.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.02 $29.02

$7.90 ₡3,551

267.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.50 ₡673

-45.33%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-22.43%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-35.19%

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

$273 $273

$93.2 ₡41.9K

192.56%

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

$57.7 $57.7

$36.13 ₡16.2K

59.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.1 $70.1

$60.6 ₡27.2K

15.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 $42.34

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-38.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.67 ₡3,449

86.18%

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

$1,326 $1,326

$972 ₡436.9K

36.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K $20.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

9.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 $54.2

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-23.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 $41.35

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-27.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 $88.8

$129 ₡57.8K

-30.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$131 ₡58.8K

-17.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,428 $1,428

$1,170 ₡525.9K

22.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 $1,329

$943 ₡424.1K

40.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,768 $2,768

$1,984 ₡892.0K

39.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,275 $2,275

$1,400 ₡629.5K

62.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,555 $1,555

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-42.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,568 $1,568

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-23.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,614 $2,614

$987 ₡443.6K

164.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.62

-23.55%

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

Last update for Houghton, MI: 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

Houghton, MI

$1.3K 50.2%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 29% $386

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houghton, MI

$400 15.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 52.6% $211

Groceries & Markets

Houghton, MI

$378 14.3%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 6.5% $25

Eating Out

Houghton, MI

$258 9.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 10% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Houghton, MI

$132 5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 32.2% $42

Getting Around

Houghton, MI

$80 3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 0.7% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Houghton, MI

$71 2.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 18.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,428 in Houghton, MI and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houghton, MI pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in Houghton, MI vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $403 per month, with Houghton, MI cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houghton, MI

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:00 5:00 PM

16:00 4:00 PM

1 h behind Houghton, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

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Between locations

Houghton, MI San Jose 4,160 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Houghton, 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

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

San Jose is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in utilities and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Houghton, MI is about 2.6 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: $1,428 in Houghton, MI 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 Houghton, MI runs roughly 10% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,326 in Houghton, MI 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 $2,648 in Houghton, MI, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Houghton, MI. 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.

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