Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houston, MO and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,698 in Houston, MO, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Houston, MO
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Houston, MO Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Houston, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Houston, MO versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Houston, MO $2,698
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,946 in Houston, MO versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Houston, MO $3,946
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,195 in Houston, MO versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Houston, MO $5,195
San Jose $3,929

Living in Houston, MO is roughly 40% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Houston, MO 99% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.96 $17.96

$12.29 ₡5,513

46.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.0 $78.0

$62.3 ₡27.9K

25.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 $11.87

$11.53 ₡5,171

2.95%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$4.35 ₡1,953

19.54%

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

$2.35 $2.35

$2.64 ₡1,183

-10.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.86 ₡836

-9.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.59 $5.59

$3.32 ₡1,490

68.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 $7.20

$4.52 ₡2,026

59.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.39 ₡1,073

-48.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.08 ₡1,381

21.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$2.50 ₡1,119

124.80%

Eggs

$4.05 $4.05

$3.48 ₡1,562

16.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.42 $13.42

$10.74 ₡4,815

24.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.45 $15.45

$10.32 ₡4,629

49.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.46 $20.46

$14.10 ₡6,325

45.11%

Apples (1kg)

$8.25 $8.25

$5.03 ₡2,256

64.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.59 ₡714

50.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.69 $5.69

$4.84 ₡2,171

17.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$3.96 ₡1,776

35.10%

Potato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.76 ₡1,684

11.44%

Onion (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.73 ₡1,674

33.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.08 ₡485

156.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.25 ₡1,456

-12.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.25 $8.25

$5.86 ₡2,627

40.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.94 $14.94

$20.28 ₡9,095

-26.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$3.73 ₡1,673

-12.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.08 ₡486

75.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.50 ₡1,123

42.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.63 ₡732

-3.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.60 $40.60

$8.71 ₡3,904

366.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.58 ₡709

-41.14%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-15.88%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-38.44%

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

$239 $239

$93.7 ₡42.0K

155.47%

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

$69.9 $69.9

$35.42 ₡15.9K

97.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.3 $76.3

$60.0 ₡26.9K

27.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.69 $44.69

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-38.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 $13.96

$7.74 ₡3,471

80.36%

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

$1,406 $1,406

$1,005 ₡450.9K

39.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K $23.4K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

38.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 $58.8

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-19.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.65 $40.65

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-26.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 $89.9

$128 ₡57.5K

-29.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$130 ₡58.5K

-8.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 $1,361

$932 ₡418.0K

46.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 $1,290

$760 ₡340.8K

69.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,511 $2,511

$1,922 ₡862.0K

30.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 $2,115

$1,276 ₡572.1K

65.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,461 $2,461

$2,301 ₡1.0M

6.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,601 $2,601

$1,833 ₡821.9K

41.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

8.62

-22.04%

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

Last update for Houston, MO: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Houston, MO

$1.3K 47.8%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 41.1% $530

Groceries & Markets

Houston, MO

$491 18.2%

San Jose

$403 21% 18% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houston, MO

$386 14.3%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 51% $196

Eating Out

Houston, MO

$300 11.1%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 23.8% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Houston, MO

$139 5.2%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 25.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Houston, MO

$73 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 21.3% $15

Getting Around

Houston, MO

$19 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 324% $61

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 $1,361 in Houston, MO and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $78.0 in Houston, MO vs $62.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $491 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houston, MO

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

06:28 6:28 AM

1 h behind Houston, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,304,580

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Houston, MO San Jose 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Houston, MO
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

Houston, MO vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,047 in Houston, MO and $2,886 in San Jose to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,361 in Houston, MO versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,406 in Houston, MO versus $1,005 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $78.0 in Houston, MO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,698 in Houston, MO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Houston, MO. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Houston, MO, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Houston, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.