Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johnson City, TN and San Jose

For one person, living costs are similar in Johnson City, TN and in San Jose: $2,131 and $2,107 a month, rent and utilities included.

102

Cost of Living Index in Johnson City, TN
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Johnson City, TN Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Johnson City, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,131

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,131 per month in Johnson City, TN vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Johnson City, TN $2,131
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,129 per month in Johnson City, TN vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Johnson City, TN $3,129
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,128 per month in Johnson City, TN vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Johnson City, TN $4,128
San Jose $4,054

Johnson City, TN and San Jose have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Johnson City, TN and San Jose sit above the global median – Johnson City, TN by 58%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.79 $13.79

$12.37 ₡5,563

11.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.0 $54.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-13.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.97 $9.97

$11.71 ₡5,264

-14.86%

Cappuccino

$5.13 $5.13

$4.54 ₡2,040

13.00%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$2.75 ₡1,238

12.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.86 ₡837

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.35 ₡1,505

52.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.10 $6.10

$4.32 ₡1,944

41.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.36 ₡1,061

-56.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.07 ₡1,379

27.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.51 ₡1,128

56.57%

Eggs

$3.17 $3.17

$3.53 ₡1,585

-10.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.36 $7.36

$10.54 ₡4,738

-30.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.82 $13.82

$10.57 ₡4,754

30.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$13.92 ₡6,261

-5.89%

Apples (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$5.20 ₡2,338

47.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.65 ₡740

8.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$4.89 ₡2,198

-17.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.84 ₡1,728

-8.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.91 ₡1,757

-14.58%

Onion (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$3.76 ₡1,692

18.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.12 ₡504

95.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.22 ₡1,447

-27.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.55 $8.55

$6.02 ₡2,706

42.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 $13.11

$19.84 ₡8,919

-33.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.81 ₡1,264

-41.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 $5.16

$3.65 ₡1,643

41.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.08 ₡487

-5.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.34 $25.34

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-61.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.26 ₡1,018

56.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.78 ₡799

-25.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.07 $15.07

$7.90 ₡3,551

90.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.50 ₡673

-44.67%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-9.41%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-42.20%

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

$175 $175

$93.2 ₡41.9K

87.79%

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

$52.1 $52.1

$36.13 ₡16.2K

44.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.7 $61.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

1.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.99 $46.99

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-31.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.89 $19.89

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-20.25%

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 $12.03

$7.67 ₡3,449

56.84%

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

$1,318 $1,318

$972 ₡436.9K

35.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K $10.4K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-44.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.00 $38.00

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-46.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.17 $31.17

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-45.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 $86.3

$129 ₡57.8K

-32.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 $93.2

$131 ₡58.8K

-28.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,166 $1,166

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-0.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$968 $968

$943 ₡424.1K

2.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,998 $1,998

$1,984 ₡892.0K

0.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,607 $1,607

$1,400 ₡629.5K

14.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,382 $2,382

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-11.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,029 $2,029

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-0.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,616 $3,616

$987 ₡443.6K

266.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

8.62

-24.71%

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

Last update for Johnson City, TN: 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

Johnson City, TN

$968 45.4%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 2.6% $25

Groceries & Markets

Johnson City, TN

$391 18.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 2.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johnson City, TN

$289 13.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 34.2% $99

Eating Out

Johnson City, TN

$260 12.2%

San Jose

$232 11% 10.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Johnson City, TN

$112 5.3%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 55.5% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Johnson City, TN

$71 3.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 18.6% $13

Getting Around

Johnson City, TN

$40 1.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 104% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,166 in Johnson City, TN 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 Johnson City, TN are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Johnson City, TN versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $391 vs $403 – making Johnson City, TN the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Johnson City, TN

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

11:43 11:43 AM

1 h behind Johnson City, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,027

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

Johnson City, TN San Jose 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Johnson City, TN
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

Johnson City, TN vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,196 per month in Johnson City, TN and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,166 in Johnson City, TN and $1,170 in San Jose. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Johnson City, TN and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Johnson City, TN. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,131 in Johnson City, TN and $2,107 in San Jose, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,131 in Johnson City, TN. 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, Johnson City, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.