Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Islip, NY and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Islip, NY: $1,258 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Jose outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Islip, NY
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Islip, NY Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Islip, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,258

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,258 in Islip, NY versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Islip, NY $1,258
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,199 in Islip, NY versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Islip, NY $2,199
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,140 in Islip, NY versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Islip, NY $3,140
San Jose $4,054

Living in Islip, NY costs roughly 40% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Islip, NY is 7% below, San Jose is 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.10 $26.10

$12.37 ₡5,563

110.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$62.4 ₡28.0K

90.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.94 $13.94

$11.71 ₡5,264

19.04%

Cappuccino

$5.02 $5.02

$4.54 ₡2,040

10.57%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$2.75 ₡1,238

6.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.86 ₡837

20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 $7.90

$3.35 ₡1,505

135.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.95 $9.95

$4.32 ₡1,944

130.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$2.36 ₡1,061

-44.92%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.07 ₡1,379

42.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.51 ₡1,128

67.73%

Eggs

$5.27 $5.27

$3.53 ₡1,585

49.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.73 $19.73

$10.54 ₡4,738

87.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.21 $18.21

$10.57 ₡4,754

72.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.38 $16.38

$13.92 ₡6,261

17.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$5.20 ₡2,338

-16.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.65 ₡740

-23.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$4.89 ₡2,198

-53.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.84 ₡1,728

-25.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$3.91 ₡1,757

-56.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.76 ₡1,692

-39.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.12 ₡504

39.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 $1.11

$3.22 ₡1,447

-65.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.93 $14.93

$6.02 ₡2,706

148.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 $12.87

$19.84 ₡8,919

-35.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.81 ₡1,264

-17.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.65 ₡1,643

10.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.08 ₡487

306.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.26 ₡1,018

31.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.78 ₡799

23.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.68 $41.68

$7.90 ₡3,551

427.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.50 ₡673

-24.67%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-18.83%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.51%

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

$78.1 $78.1

$93.2 ₡41.9K

-16.17%

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

$68.7 $68.7

$36.13 ₡16.2K

90.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

14.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.1 $60.1

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-12.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$15.81 $15.81

$7.67 ₡3,449

106.13%

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

$3,515 $3,515

$972 ₡436.9K

261.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$47.8K $47.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

153.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.53 $45.53

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-35.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.39 $27.39

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-51.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 $75.5

$129 ₡57.8K

-41.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 $89.3

$131 ₡58.8K

-31.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,015 $2,015

$1,170 ₡525.9K

72.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,377 $3,377

$1,984 ₡892.0K

70.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,003 $4,003

$987 ₡443.6K

305.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

8.62

-23.09%

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

Last update for Islip, NY: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Islip, NY

$421 33.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 4.4% $19

Eating Out

Islip, NY

$391 31.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 40.6% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Islip, NY

$216 17.2%

San Jose

$190 9% 12.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Islip, NY

$107 8.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 62.8% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Islip, NY

$92 7.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 8.1% $7.4

Getting Around

Islip, NY

$32 * 2.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 156% $49

Accommodation & Living

Islip, NY

- * 0%

San Jose

$943 44.8%

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 $2,015 in Islip, NY and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Islip, NY pays about 4.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $119 in Islip, NY vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Islip, NY

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

1 h behind Islip, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

339,938

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

Islip, NY San Jose 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Islip, NY
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

Islip, NY vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Islip, NY is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in clothing and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Islip, NY is about 4.1 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: $2,015 in Islip, NY versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,515 in Islip, NY versus $972 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 versus $119 in Islip, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,258 in Islip, NY versus $2,107 in San Jose, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Islip, NY but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Islip, NY 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.