Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jacksonville, FL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,484 in Jacksonville, FL, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Jacksonville, FL
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Jacksonville, FL Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Jacksonville, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,484

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,484 per month in Jacksonville, FL vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Jacksonville, FL $2,484
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,760 per month in Jacksonville, FL vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Jacksonville, FL $3,760
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,036 per month in Jacksonville, FL vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Jacksonville, FL $5,036
San Jose $4,054

Jacksonville, FL costs about 18% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Jacksonville, FL and San Jose sit above the global median – Jacksonville, FL by 84%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.01 $20.01

$12.37 ₡5,563

61.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$62.4 ₡28.0K

62.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 $11.33

$11.71 ₡5,264

-3.25%

Cappuccino

$5.69 $5.69

$4.54 ₡2,040

25.33%

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

$3.14 $3.14

$2.75 ₡1,238

14.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.86 ₡837

20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.35 ₡1,505

50.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 $7.16

$4.32 ₡1,944

65.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.36 ₡1,061

-57.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 $3.11

$3.07 ₡1,379

1.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.51 ₡1,128

52.59%

Eggs

$4.44 $4.44

$3.53 ₡1,585

25.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 $14.22

$10.54 ₡4,738

34.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.86 $9.86

$10.57 ₡4,754

-6.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.88 $15.88

$13.92 ₡6,261

14.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$5.20 ₡2,338

-10.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.65 ₡740

-12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$4.89 ₡2,198

-21.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.84 ₡1,728

19.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.91 ₡1,757

-25.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$3.76 ₡1,692

-16.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.12 ₡504

133.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$3.22 ₡1,447

-25.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.39 $9.39

$6.02 ₡2,706

55.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.33 $15.33

$19.84 ₡8,919

-22.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.81 ₡1,264

-23.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.65 ₡1,643

-15.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.08 ₡487

64.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 $65.5

$65.2 ₡29.3K

0.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.26 ₡1,018

-32.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.78 ₡799

-34.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.94 $13.94

$7.90 ₡3,551

76.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.50 ₡673

-27.33%

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

$30.9K $30.9K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-7.69%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.17%

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

$216 $216

$93.2 ₡41.9K

131.60%

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

$62.6 $62.6

$36.13 ₡16.2K

73.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

11.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.78 $34.78

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-49.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.28 $6.28

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-74.82%

Cinema Ticket

$14.69 $14.69

$7.67 ₡3,449

91.53%

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

$1,289 $1,289

$972 ₡436.9K

32.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K $20.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

10.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 $63.7

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-9.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.12 $48.12

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-15.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$129 ₡57.8K

-13.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 $153

$131 ₡58.8K

17.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,664 $1,664

$1,170 ₡525.9K

42.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 $1,115

$943 ₡424.1K

18.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,607 $2,607

$1,984 ₡892.0K

31.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,910 $1,910

$1,400 ₡629.5K

36.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,370 $2,370

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-11.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,110 $2,110

$2,037 ₡915.8K

3.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,063 $4,063

$987 ₡443.6K

311.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.88

8.62

-20.19%

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

Last update for Jacksonville, FL: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jacksonville, FL

$1.1K 44.9%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 15.4% $172

Groceries & Markets

Jacksonville, FL

$386 15.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 4.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jacksonville, FL

$346 13.9%

San Jose

$190 9% 45.1% $156

Eating Out

Jacksonville, FL

$323 13%

San Jose

$232 11% 28.2% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Jacksonville, FL

$170 6.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 2.7% $4.6

Getting Around

Jacksonville, FL

$80 3.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 1% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Jacksonville, FL

$64 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 31.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,664 in Jacksonville, FL 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 Jacksonville, FL are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Jacksonville, FL versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $386 in Jacksonville, FL vs $403 in San Jose – so Jacksonville, FL wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jacksonville, FL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

21:13 9:13 PM

20:13 8:13 PM

1 h behind Jacksonville, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

949,611

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jacksonville, FL San Jose 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Jacksonville, FL
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

Jacksonville, FL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jacksonville, FL costs about 18% 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 $3,726 per month in Jacksonville, FL 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 $1,664 in Jacksonville, FL.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,484 in Jacksonville, FL and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,289 per month in Jacksonville, FL and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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