Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johnstown, PA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Johnstown, PA: $1,817 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Johnstown, PA
Learn more

Johnstown, PA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Johnstown, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,817

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,817 per month in Johnstown, PA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Johnstown, PA $1,817
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $2,650 per month in Johnstown, PA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Johnstown, PA $2,650
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Johnstown, PA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Johnstown, PA $3,483
San Jose $4,054

Johnstown, PA is about 14% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Johnstown, PA and San Jose sit above the global median – Johnstown, PA by 34%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.92 $14.92

$12.37 ₡5,546

20.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.87 $39.87

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-36.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 $6.96

$11.71 ₡5,248

-40.56%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$4.54 ₡2,034

18.50%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$2.75 ₡1,234

8.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.86 ₡835

65.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.35 ₡1,501

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 $5.90

$4.32 ₡1,938

36.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.36 ₡1,057

-54.24%

White Bread (500g)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.07 ₡1,375

41.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.51 ₡1,124

58.17%

Eggs

$4.64 $4.64

$3.53 ₡1,580

31.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.67 $16.67

$10.54 ₡4,724

58.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$10.57 ₡4,740

-55.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.25 $23.25

$13.92 ₡6,242

67.03%

Apples (1kg)

$6.09 $6.09

$5.20 ₡2,331

17.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.65 ₡738

-18.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$4.89 ₡2,191

-15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$3.84 ₡1,722

-29.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$3.91 ₡1,752

-74.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.76 ₡1,687

-26.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.35 $3.35

$1.12 ₡503

199.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.22 ₡1,443

-23.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.30 $15.30

$6.02 ₡2,698

154.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.01 $18.01

$19.84 ₡8,892

-9.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.81 ₡1,261

-39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$3.65 ₡1,638

-15.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡485

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 $5.03

$2.26 ₡1,015

122.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.78 ₡797

67.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.38 $34.38

$7.90 ₡3,540

335.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.50 ₡671

-32.67%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$33.5K ₡15.0M

-30.96%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-43.60%

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

$203 $203

$93.2 ₡41.8K

118.36%

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

$14.86 $14.86

$36.13 ₡16.2K

-58.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

15.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.40 $35.40

$68.9 ₡30.9K

-48.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$8.92 $8.92

$7.67 ₡3,439

16.30%

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

$3,161 $3,161

$972 ₡435.6K

225.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$65.8K $65.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

248.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 $88.6

$70.6 ₡31.7K

25.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 $56.7

$56.7 ₡25.4K

0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 $142

$129 ₡57.7K

10.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$131 ₡58.7K

14.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 $646

$1,170 ₡524.3K

-44.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 $596

$943 ₡422.8K

-36.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 $893

$1,984 ₡889.3K

-54.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$952 $952

$1,400 ₡627.6K

-31.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$861 $861

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-67.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$851 $851

$2,037 ₡913.0K

-58.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,191 $2,191

$987 ₡442.3K

122.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.99

8.62

-18.91%

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

Last update for Johnstown, PA: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johnstown, PA

$596 32.8%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 58.4% $348

Groceries & Markets

Johnstown, PA

$403 22.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 0.1% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johnstown, PA

$288 15.9%

San Jose

$190 9% 34.1% $98

Eating Out

Johnstown, PA

$261 14.4%

San Jose

$232 11% 10.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Johnstown, PA

$196 10.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 11.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Johnstown, PA

$53 2.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 58.3% $31

Getting Around

Johnstown, PA

$20 * 1.1%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 304% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $646 in Johnstown, PA 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 Johnstown, PA are about 2.2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Johnstown, PA versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $403 – making Johnstown, PA the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Johnstown, PA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

21:14 9:14 PM

1 h behind Johnstown, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,269

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 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 = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Johnstown, PA San Jose 3,420 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Johnstown, PA
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

Johnstown, PA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,726 per month in Johnstown, PA 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 Johnstown, PA, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $646 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Johnstown, PA and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $3,161 per month in Johnstown, PA and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,817 in Johnstown, PA 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 $1,817 in Johnstown, PA to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.