Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Key West, FL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $4,773 in Key West, FL, rent and utilities included – about $32,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

229

Cost of Living Index in Key West, FL
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Key West, FL Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Key West, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$4,773

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,773 per month in Key West, FL vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Key West, FL $4,773
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $6,964 per month in Key West, FL vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Key West, FL $6,964
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $9,154 per month in Key West, FL vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Key West, FL $9,154
San Jose $4,054

Key West, FL costs about 127% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Key West, FL and San Jose sit above the global median – Key West, FL by 253%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 $22.10

$12.37 ₡5,563

78.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$62.4 ₡28.0K

61.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.93 $11.93

$11.71 ₡5,264

1.88%

Cappuccino

$4.47 $4.47

$4.54 ₡2,040

-1.54%

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

$2.37 $2.37

$2.75 ₡1,238

-13.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.86 ₡837

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 $6.06

$3.35 ₡1,505

80.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.32 ₡1,944

58.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.36 ₡1,061

-57.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.07 ₡1,379

19.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$2.51 ₡1,128

159.36%

Eggs

$5.19 $5.19

$3.53 ₡1,585

47.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.30 $11.30

$10.54 ₡4,738

7.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.69 $13.69

$10.57 ₡4,754

29.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.76 $23.76

$13.92 ₡6,261

70.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$5.20 ₡2,338

-4.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.65 ₡740

12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$4.89 ₡2,198

-23.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.84 ₡1,728

33.07%

Potato (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.91 ₡1,757

54.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.76 ₡1,692

-13.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.12 ₡504

216.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.22 ₡1,447

-17.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.88 $7.88

$6.02 ₡2,706

30.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 $14.27

$19.84 ₡8,919

-28.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.81 ₡1,264

-32.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$3.65 ₡1,643

-36.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.08 ₡487

279.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.26 ₡1,018

80.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.78 ₡799

73.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.69 $29.69

$7.90 ₡3,551

275.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.50 ₡673

-44.00%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

4.60%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.74%

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

$215 $215

$93.2 ₡41.9K

131.02%

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

$53.4 $53.4

$36.13 ₡16.2K

47.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.1 $74.1

$60.6 ₡27.2K

22.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.1 $80.1

$68.9 ₡31.0K

16.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.18 $14.18

$7.67 ₡3,449

84.88%

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

$1,102 $1,102

$972 ₡436.9K

13.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K $22.9K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

21.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.45 $47.45

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-32.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.43 $42.43

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-25.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 $71.6

$129 ₡57.8K

-44.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.9 $68.9

$131 ₡58.8K

-47.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,420 $3,420

$1,170 ₡525.9K

192.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,398 $3,398

$943 ₡424.1K

260.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,127 $7,127

$1,984 ₡892.0K

259.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,007 $6,007

$1,400 ₡629.5K

329.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,501 $9,501

$2,681 ₡1.2M

254.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,607 $9,607

$2,037 ₡915.8K

371.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,853 $5,853

$987 ₡443.6K

493.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

8.62

-25.99%

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

Last update for Key West, FL: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Key West, FL

$3.4K 71.2%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 72.2% $2.5K

Groceries & Markets

Key West, FL

$457 9.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 11.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Key West, FL

$343 7.2%

San Jose

$190 9% 44.6% $153

Eating Out

Key West, FL

$328 6.9%

San Jose

$232 11% 29% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Key West, FL

$108 2.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 22.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Key West, FL

$104 2.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 67.9% $70

Getting Around

Key West, FL

$36 * 0.8%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 125% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,420 in Key West, 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 Key West, FL are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Key West, FL versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $457 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Key West, FL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:51 7:51 AM

06:51 6:51 AM

1 h behind Key West, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,684

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

Key West, FL San Jose 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Key West, 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

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

Yes – Key West, FL is pricier by about 127%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,160 per month in Key West, 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 $3,420 in Key West, FL.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Key West, FL and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Key West, FL, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Key West, FL at $4,773. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Key West, FL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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, Key West, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.