Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, NY and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,059 in Kingston, NY, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Kingston, NY
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Kingston, NY Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Kingston, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,059

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,059 in Kingston, NY versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Kingston, NY $3,059
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,474 in Kingston, NY versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Kingston, NY $4,474
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,889 in Kingston, NY versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Kingston, NY $5,889
San Jose $4,054

Living in Kingston, NY is roughly 45% 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: Kingston, NY 126% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.44 $25.44

$12.37 ₡5,563

105.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$62.4 ₡28.0K

27.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.76 $13.76

$11.71 ₡5,264

17.51%

Cappuccino

$6.19 $6.19

$4.54 ₡2,040

36.34%

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

$2.58 $2.58

$2.75 ₡1,238

-6.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.86 ₡837

25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$3.35 ₡1,505

141.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.90 $8.90

$4.32 ₡1,944

106.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.36 ₡1,061

-58.47%

White Bread (500g)

$4.53 $4.53

$3.07 ₡1,379

47.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.86 $6.86

$2.51 ₡1,128

173.31%

Eggs

$4.49 $4.49

$3.53 ₡1,585

27.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.15 $16.15

$10.54 ₡4,738

53.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.94 $10.94

$10.57 ₡4,754

3.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.04 $17.04

$13.92 ₡6,261

22.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$5.20 ₡2,338

-12.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.65 ₡740

-21.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$4.89 ₡2,198

-4.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.85 $6.85

$3.84 ₡1,728

78.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.91 ₡1,757

-8.44%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.76 ₡1,692

-13.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.12 ₡504

125.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$3.22 ₡1,447

-41.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.71 $16.71

$6.02 ₡2,706

177.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.81 ₡1,264

-30.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.65 ₡1,643

-4.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.08 ₡487

93.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.8 $59.8

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-8.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.26 ₡1,018

51.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.78 ₡799

-7.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.53 $29.53

$7.90 ₡3,551

273.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.50 ₡673

-40.00%

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

$31.9K $31.9K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-4.67%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.27%

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

$211 $211

$93.2 ₡41.9K

126.71%

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

$67.6 $67.6

$36.13 ₡16.2K

87.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.5 $80.5

$60.6 ₡27.2K

32.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.75 $42.75

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-37.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$59.7 $59.7

$24.94 ₡11.2K

139.17%

Cinema Ticket

$14.89 $14.89

$7.67 ₡3,449

94.13%

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

$2,460 $2,460

$972 ₡436.9K

153.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K $20.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

7.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.90 $49.90

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-29.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.09 $29.09

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-48.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 $82.8

$129 ₡57.8K

-35.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 $77.4

$131 ₡58.8K

-40.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,855 $1,855

$1,170 ₡525.9K

58.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 $1,608

$943 ₡424.1K

70.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,269 $3,269

$1,984 ₡892.0K

64.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,660 $2,660

$1,400 ₡629.5K

89.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,301 $3,301

$2,681 ₡1.2M

23.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,314 $3,314

$2,037 ₡915.8K

62.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,166 $3,166

$987 ₡443.6K

220.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

8.62

-22.51%

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

Last update for Kingston, NY: 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

Kingston, NY

$1.6K 52.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 41.3% $665

Groceries & Markets

Kingston, NY

$435 14.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 7.5% $33

Eating Out

Kingston, NY

$397 13%

San Jose

$232 11% 41.5% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston, NY

$359 11.8%

San Jose

$190 9% 47.2% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston, NY

$108 3.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 61.8% $66

Getting Around

Kingston, NY

$80 2.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 1.2% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston, NY

$73 2.4%

San Jose

$84 4% 16.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,855 in Kingston, NY and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston, NY pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Kingston, NY vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $435 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kingston, NY

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

10:50 10:50 AM

1 h behind Kingston, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,436

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

Kingston, NY San Jose 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston, NY
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

Kingston, NY vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Kingston, NY is about 3.2 times higher, 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: $1,855 in Kingston, NY versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,059 per month in Kingston, NY versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Kingston, NY runs roughly 8% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,059 in Kingston, NY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Kingston, NY. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Kingston, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Kingston, NY on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.