Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Killeen, TX and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,106 in Killeen, TX, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Killeen, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

103

Cost of Living Index in Killeen, TX
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Killeen, TX Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Killeen, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,106

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,106 in Killeen, TX versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Killeen, TX $2,106
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Killeen, TX versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Killeen, TX $3,276
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,447 in Killeen, TX versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Killeen, TX $4,447
San Jose $3,929

Living in Killeen, TX is roughly 9% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Killeen, TX 55% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.34 $20.34

$12.29 ₡5,513

65.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 $65.3

$62.3 ₡27.9K

4.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 $11.77

$11.53 ₡5,171

2.08%

Cappuccino

$5.43 $5.43

$4.35 ₡1,953

24.83%

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

$2.92 $2.92

$2.64 ₡1,183

10.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.86 ₡836

0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.32 ₡1,490

52.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 $5.78

$4.52 ₡2,026

27.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.39 ₡1,073

-56.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 $2.30

$3.08 ₡1,381

-25.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.50 ₡1,119

90.80%

Eggs

$3.99 $3.99

$3.48 ₡1,562

14.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 $8.67

$10.74 ₡4,815

-19.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.14 $11.14

$10.32 ₡4,629

7.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.15 $18.15

$14.10 ₡6,325

28.72%

Apples (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$5.03 ₡2,256

14.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.59 ₡714

-40.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$4.84 ₡2,171

4.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$3.96 ₡1,776

4.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$3.76 ₡1,684

-36.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.73 ₡1,674

-23.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.08 ₡485

77.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.25 ₡1,456

-12.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.03 $6.03

$5.86 ₡2,627

2.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 $11.73

$20.28 ₡9,095

-42.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.90 ₡1,300

-28.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$3.73 ₡1,673

-50.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.9 $72.9

$65.5 ₡29.4K

11.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.50 ₡1,123

23.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.63 ₡732

9.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.76 $14.76

$8.71 ₡3,904

69.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.58 ₡709

-41.14%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

6.61%

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

$24.2K $24.2K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-42.04%

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

$191 $191

$93.7 ₡42.0K

103.65%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$35.42 ₡15.9K

63.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.6 $66.6

$60.0 ₡26.9K

11.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.01 $23.01

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-68.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 $12.96

$7.74 ₡3,471

67.44%

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

$2,090 $2,090

$1,005 ₡450.9K

107.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

42.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.16 $38.16

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-47.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.71 $19.71

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-64.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.4 $63.4

$128 ₡57.5K

-50.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.3 $64.3

$130 ₡58.5K

-50.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 $1,010

$932 ₡418.0K

8.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$882 $882

$760 ₡340.8K

16.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 $1,553

$1,922 ₡862.0K

-19.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 $1,791

$1,276 ₡572.1K

40.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,747 $1,747

$2,301 ₡1.0M

-24.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,758 $1,758

$1,833 ₡821.9K

-4.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,303 $3,303

$1,029 ₡461.3K

221.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.71

8.62

-22.16%

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

Last update for Killeen, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Killeen, TX

$882 41.9%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 13.8% $122

Groceries & Markets

Killeen, TX

$372 17.7%

San Jose

$403 21% 8.4% $31

Eating Out

Killeen, TX

$319 15.2%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 28.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Killeen, TX

$315 15%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 40.1% $126

Getting Around

Killeen, TX

$85 * 4%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 5.2% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Killeen, TX

$83 4%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 109% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Killeen, TX

$49 2.3%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 80% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,010 in Killeen, TX and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Killeen, TX pays 221% 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: $65.0 in Killeen, TX vs $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $372 vs $403, with Killeen, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Killeen, TX

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

11:01 11:01 AM

1 h behind Killeen, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,095

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Killeen, TX San Jose 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Killeen, TX
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

Killeen, TX vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Killeen, TX and San Jose differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,106 vs $1,924 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 221% higher in Killeen, TX, 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: $1,010 in Killeen, TX versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 11% less than in Killeen, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,090 in Killeen, TX versus $1,005 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,106 in Killeen, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Killeen, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Killeen, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.