Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iola, KS and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,638 in Iola, KS, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Iola, KS outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

128

Cost of Living Index in Iola, KS
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Iola, KS Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Iola, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,638

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,638 per month in Iola, KS vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Iola, KS $2,638
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,771 per month in Iola, KS vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Iola, KS $3,771
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $4,904 per month in Iola, KS vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Iola, KS $4,904
San Jose $3,929

Iola, KS costs about 37% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Iola, KS and San Jose sit above the global median – Iola, KS by 95%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.04 $27.04

$12.29 ₡5,513

120.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.7 $59.7

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-4.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 $11.09

$11.53 ₡5,171

-3.82%

Cappuccino

$5.01 $5.01

$4.35 ₡1,953

15.17%

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

$2.20 $2.20

$2.64 ₡1,183

-16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.86 ₡836

18.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.32 ₡1,490

39.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 $6.53

$4.52 ₡2,026

44.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.39 ₡1,073

-53.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.08 ₡1,381

8.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.50 ₡1,119

-14.40%

Eggs

$3.70 $3.70

$3.48 ₡1,562

6.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 $10.96

$10.74 ₡4,815

2.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 $8.72

$10.32 ₡4,629

-15.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.21 $15.21

$14.10 ₡6,325

7.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$5.03 ₡2,256

-12.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.59 ₡714

-32.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$4.84 ₡2,171

-38.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$3.96 ₡1,776

13.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$3.76 ₡1,684

-55.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$3.73 ₡1,674

-37.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.08 ₡485

62.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$3.25 ₡1,456

-38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.80 $7.80

$5.86 ₡2,627

33.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 $13.26

$20.28 ₡9,095

-34.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.73 ₡1,673

16.09%

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)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.50 ₡1,123

16.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.63 ₡732

-14.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.65 $35.65

$8.71 ₡3,904

309.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.58 ₡709

-40.51%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-16.92%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-34.72%

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

$268 $268

$93.7 ₡42.0K

186.24%

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

$59.6 $59.6

$35.42 ₡15.9K

68.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.9 $73.9

$60.0 ₡26.9K

23.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 $46.01

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-36.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$11.94 $11.94

$7.74 ₡3,471

54.26%

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

$760 $760

$1,005 ₡450.9K

-24.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

23.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 $73.4

$73.1 ₡32.8K

0.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.20 $37.20

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-32.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 $78.1

$128 ₡57.5K

-39.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$130 ₡58.5K

-5.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 $1,569

$932 ₡418.0K

68.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 $1,308

$760 ₡340.8K

72.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,512 $2,512

$1,922 ₡862.0K

30.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 $2,127

$1,276 ₡572.1K

66.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 $2,470

$2,301 ₡1.0M

7.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,702 $2,702

$1,833 ₡821.9K

47.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

8.62

-26.22%

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

Last update for Iola, KS: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iola, KS

$1.3K 49.6%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 41.9% $548

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iola, KS

$402 15.2%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 52.9% $212

Eating Out

Iola, KS

$364 13.8%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 37% $135

Groceries & Markets

Iola, KS

$338 12.8%

San Jose

$403 21% 19.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Iola, KS

$141 5.3%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 23.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Iola, KS

$70 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 26% $18

Getting Around

Iola, KS

$17 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 360% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,569 in Iola, KS versus $932 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Iola, KS versus $62.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $403 – making Iola, KS the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Iola, KS

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

1 h behind Iola, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,400

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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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Highest

Between locations

Iola, KS San Jose 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Iola, KS
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

Iola, KS vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iola, KS costs about 37% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,958 per month in Iola, KS and $2,886 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Iola, KS and $62.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in Iola, KS – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Iola, KS at $2,638. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Iola, KS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $1,924 versus $2,638 in Iola, KS. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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