Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Idaho Falls, ID and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,331 in Idaho Falls, ID, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Idaho Falls, ID outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

111

Cost of Living Index in Idaho Falls, ID
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Idaho Falls, ID Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Idaho Falls, ID

🇺🇸 United States

$2,331

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,331 per month in Idaho Falls, ID vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Idaho Falls, ID $2,331
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,363 per month in Idaho Falls, ID vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Idaho Falls, ID $3,363
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,394 per month in Idaho Falls, ID vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Idaho Falls, ID $4,394
San Jose $4,054

Idaho Falls, ID costs about 11% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Idaho Falls, ID and San Jose sit above the global median – Idaho Falls, ID by 72%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.32 $18.32

$12.37 ₡5,563

48.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.6 $52.6

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-15.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.98 $9.98

$11.71 ₡5,264

-14.77%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$4.54 ₡2,040

9.91%

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

$2.27 $2.27

$2.75 ₡1,238

-17.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.86 ₡837

-17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.35 ₡1,505

16.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$4.32 ₡1,944

65.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 $0.70

$2.36 ₡1,061

-70.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.83 $3.83

$3.07 ₡1,379

24.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.51 ₡1,128

17.93%

Eggs

$4.05 $4.05

$3.53 ₡1,585

14.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 $11.95

$10.54 ₡4,738

13.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$10.57 ₡4,754

-38.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 $9.73

$13.92 ₡6,261

-30.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$5.20 ₡2,338

-59.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.65 ₡740

-27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$4.89 ₡2,198

-56.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$3.84 ₡1,728

-45.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$3.91 ₡1,757

-58.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.76 ₡1,692

-35.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.12 ₡504

69.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$3.22 ₡1,447

-40.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.43 $10.43

$6.02 ₡2,706

73.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.40 $7.40

$19.84 ₡8,919

-62.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.81 ₡1,264

-36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.65 ₡1,643

-59.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.08 ₡487

185.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.26 ₡1,018

8.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.78 ₡799

32.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.10 $25.10

$7.90 ₡3,551

217.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.50 ₡673

-29.33%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

5.27%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.58%

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

$171 $171

$93.2 ₡41.9K

83.91%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$36.13 ₡16.2K

47.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$60.6 ₡27.2K

5.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.97 $37.97

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-44.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 $11.60

$7.67 ₡3,449

51.24%

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

$932 $932

$972 ₡436.9K

-4.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

43.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.22 $41.22

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-41.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.12 $46.12

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-18.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.9 $69.9

$129 ₡57.8K

-45.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 $95.7

$131 ₡58.8K

-26.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 $1,328

$1,170 ₡525.9K

13.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,282 $1,282

$943 ₡424.1K

35.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,034 $2,034

$1,984 ₡892.0K

2.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,147 $2,147

$1,400 ₡629.5K

53.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,891 $1,891

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-29.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,963 $1,963

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-3.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,550 $3,550

$987 ₡443.6K

259.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.12

8.62

-29.00%

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

Last update for Idaho Falls, ID: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Idaho Falls, ID

$1.3K 55%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 26.4% $338

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Idaho Falls, ID

$288 12.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 34.1% $98

Eating Out

Idaho Falls, ID

$285 12.2%

San Jose

$232 11% 18.6% $53

Groceries & Markets

Idaho Falls, ID

$275 11.8%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 46.6% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Idaho Falls, ID

$114 4.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 52.9% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Idaho Falls, ID

$61 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 37.8% $23

Getting Around

Idaho Falls, ID

$27 * 1.1%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 204% $54

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,328 in Idaho Falls, ID versus $1,170 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Idaho Falls, ID are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53 in Idaho Falls, ID versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $403 – making Idaho Falls, ID the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Idaho Falls, ID

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

01:14 1:14 AM

02:14 2:14 AM

1 h ahead of Idaho Falls, ID

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,459

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Idaho Falls, ID San Jose 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Idaho Falls, ID
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

Idaho Falls, ID vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Idaho Falls, ID is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,497 per month in Idaho Falls, ID and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,328 in Idaho Falls, ID.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,331 in Idaho Falls, ID and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 10% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $932 per month in Idaho Falls, ID and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,331 in Idaho Falls, ID. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Idaho Falls, ID makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.