Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kent, WA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $3,315 in Kent, WA, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Kent, WA
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Kent, WA Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Kent, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,315

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,315 in Kent, WA versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Kent, WA $3,315
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,993 in Kent, WA versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Kent, WA $4,993
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,670 in Kent, WA versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Kent, WA $6,670
San Jose $3,934

Living in Kent, WA is roughly 71% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kent, WA 146% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.74 $19.74

$12.38 ₡5,551

59.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.6 $80.6

$60.9 ₡27.3K

32.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.78 $13.78

$11.45 ₡5,135

20.35%

Cappuccino

$4.76 $4.76

$4.39 ₡1,967

8.43%

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

$2.80 $2.80

$2.70 ₡1,211

3.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.93 ₡864

8.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 $6.84

$3.20 ₡1,433

113.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.79 $7.79

$4.41 ₡1,979

76.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.44 ₡1,093

-45.08%

White Bread (500g)

$5.00 $5.00

$3.05 ₡1,369

63.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.41 ₡1,081

37.34%

Eggs

$6.65 $6.65

$3.40 ₡1,523

95.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.02 $15.02

$10.75 ₡4,823

39.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.14 $14.14

$10.43 ₡4,679

35.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.82 $22.82

$13.99 ₡6,273

63.12%

Apples (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$5.25 ₡2,353

12.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.59 ₡712

17.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$4.69 ₡2,103

-16.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$3.95 ₡1,770

7.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.92 ₡1,760

-28.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$3.68 ₡1,651

-26.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.12 ₡503

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.19 ₡1,429

-24.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.35 $12.35

$6.00 ₡2,692

105.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$19.56 ₡8,771

-22.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.82 ₡1,263

-25.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.59 ₡1,611

-45.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.12 ₡503

170.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.0 $62.0

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-7.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.50 ₡1,119

4.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.63 ₡733

0.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.40 $30.40

$8.50 ₡3,812

257.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.56 ₡701

-6.41%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

62.63%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-27.43%

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

$300 $300

$95.2 ₡42.7K

215.03%

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

$62.8 $62.8

$35.58 ₡16.0K

76.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.5 $84.5

$58.6 ₡26.3K

44.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.42 $33.42

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-54.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.01 $17.01

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-31.55%

Cinema Ticket

$17.33 $17.33

$7.58 ₡3,401

128.63%

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

$2,667 $2,667

$1,001 ₡449.0K

166.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K $30.9K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

80.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.50 $39.50

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-43.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 $54.6

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-2.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 $91.0

$130 ₡58.2K

-29.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.76 $40.76

$131 ₡58.7K

-68.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,075 $2,075

$927 ₡415.8K

123.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 $1,828

$774 ₡347.2K

136.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,023 $4,023

$1,967 ₡882.0K

104.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,479 $3,479

$1,288 ₡577.6K

170.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,972 $5,972

$2,274 ₡1.0M

162.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,988 $3,988

$1,831 ₡821.0K

117.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,592 $4,592

$1,016 ₡455.8K

351.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

8.62

-21.58%

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

Last update for Kent, WA: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kent, WA

$1.8K 55.2%

San Jose

$774 40% 57.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Kent, WA

$459 13.8%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 12.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kent, WA

$447 13.5%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 57.6% $258

Eating Out

Kent, WA

$326 9.8%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 29.6% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Kent, WA

$102 3.1%

San Jose

$174 9% 71.2% $72

Getting Around

Kent, WA

$85 2.6%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 3.6% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Kent, WA

$68 2.1%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 29% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,075 in Kent, WA and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kent, WA pays 352% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $81.0 in Kent, WA vs $61.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $459 vs $401 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kent, WA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

00:57 12:57 AM

1 h ahead of Kent, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,588

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Kent, WA San Jose 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kent, WA
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

Kent, WA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in Kent, WA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 352% higher in Kent, WA, 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: $2,075 in Kent, WA versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $81.0 in Kent, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,315 per month in Kent, WA versus $1,938 in San Jose – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $3,315 in Kent, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Kent, WA. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Jose delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,938 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Jose hard to pass up.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Kent, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.