Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houston, TX and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,711 in Houston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Houston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,711

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,711 in Houston, TX versus $1,949 in San Jose.

Houston, TX $2,711
San Jose $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,906 in Houston, TX versus $2,903 in San Jose.

Houston, TX $3,906
San Jose $2,903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,101 in Houston, TX versus $3,857 in San Jose.

Houston, TX $5,101
San Jose $3,857

Living in Houston, TX is roughly 39% 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: Houston, TX 102% above, San Jose 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.57 $20.57

$12.22 ₡5,510

68.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 $74.3

$60.1 ₡27.1K

23.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 $10.26

$11.77 ₡5,305

-12.83%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$4.30 ₡1,939

23.72%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$2.72 ₡1,226

0.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.84 ₡830

22.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.28 ₡1,480

85.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.18 $8.18

$4.36 ₡1,966

87.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$2.38 ₡1,074

-65.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 $3.28

$3.12 ₡1,408

5.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.41 ₡1,086

68.05%

Eggs

$3.31 $3.31

$3.47 ₡1,564

-4.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 $11.25

$10.57 ₡4,767

6.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$10.56 ₡4,758

21.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 $16.23

$13.75 ₡6,196

18.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$5.04 ₡2,274

-19.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.61 ₡727

-12.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$4.59 ₡2,069

-32.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$3.84 ₡1,731

0.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.77 ₡1,700

-41.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.76 ₡1,693

-26.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.12 ₡506

64.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$3.20 ₡1,441

-22.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 $9.56

$5.84 ₡2,632

63.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.44 $14.44

$19.73 ₡8,897

-26.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.75 ₡1,240

-10.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.66 ₡1,650

-16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.12 ₡503

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 $76.3

$65.1 ₡29.4K

17.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.46 ₡1,110

15.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.54 ₡692

-4.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.64 $23.64

$8.46 ₡3,815

179.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.55 ₡699

-38.06%

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

$35.6K $35.6K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

64.20%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-22.60%

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

$213 $213

$94.7 ₡42.7K

124.62%

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

$61.1 $61.1

$35.11 ₡15.8K

73.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.6 $73.6

$58.6 ₡26.4K

25.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.98 $40.98

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-43.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.54 $20.54

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-18.46%

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 $15.21

$7.83 ₡3,532

94.25%

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

$2,153 $2,153

$971 ₡437.9K

121.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K $22.2K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

30.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.49 $49.49

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-30.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.52 $47.52

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-13.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$129 ₡58.2K

-20.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 $96.2

$133 ₡60.0K

-27.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,685 $1,685

$934 ₡420.9K

80.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 $1,403

$770 ₡347.2K

82.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,136 $3,136

$1,945 ₡876.7K

61.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 $2,207

$1,316 ₡593.5K

67.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,381 $2,381

$2,277 ₡1.0M

4.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,855 $1,855

$1,795 ₡809.1K

3.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,353 $4,353

$1,006 ₡453.5K

332.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

8.62

-22.27%

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

Last update for Houston, TX: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Houston, TX

$1.4K 51.1%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 45.1% $633

Groceries & Markets

Houston, TX

$374 13.6%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 6.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houston, TX

$347 12.6%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 45.8% $159

Eating Out

Houston, TX

$326 11.9%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 30% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Houston, TX

$133 4.9%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 31.2% $42

Getting Around

Houston, TX

$92 3.3%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 13% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Houston, TX

$71 2.6%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 23% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,685 in Houston, TX and $934 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houston, TX pays 333% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $74.0 in Houston, TX vs $60.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $374 vs $399, with Houston, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houston, TX

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

1 h behind Houston, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,304,580

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

Houston, TX San Jose 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Houston, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 333% higher in Houston, TX, 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: $1,685 in Houston, TX versus $934 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Houston, TX pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $74.0 in Houston, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,949 in San Jose versus $2,711 in Houston, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Houston, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Jose delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,949 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Jose hard to pass up.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Houston, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.