Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knoxville, TN and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,534 in Knoxville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Knoxville, TN
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Knoxville, TN Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Knoxville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,534

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,534 in Knoxville, TN versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Knoxville, TN $2,534
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,650 in Knoxville, TN versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Knoxville, TN $3,650
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,765 in Knoxville, TN versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Knoxville, TN $4,765
San Jose $4,054

Living in Knoxville, TN is roughly 20% 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: Knoxville, TN 87% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.84 $19.84

$12.37 ₡5,563

60.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.4 $75.4

$62.4 ₡28.0K

20.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 $10.16

$11.71 ₡5,264

-13.24%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$4.54 ₡2,040

22.69%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$2.75 ₡1,238

-1.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.86 ₡837

40.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.54 $6.54

$3.35 ₡1,505

95.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$4.32 ₡1,944

59.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.36 ₡1,061

-55.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.07 ₡1,379

9.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$2.51 ₡1,128

88.05%

Eggs

$4.44 $4.44

$3.53 ₡1,585

25.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 $10.24

$10.54 ₡4,738

-2.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 $9.68

$10.57 ₡4,754

-8.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.87 $14.87

$13.92 ₡6,261

6.82%

Apples (1kg)

$7.08 $7.08

$5.20 ₡2,338

36.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.65 ₡740

-10.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$4.89 ₡2,198

-42.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$3.84 ₡1,728

39.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$3.91 ₡1,757

-43.73%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$3.76 ₡1,692

12.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.12 ₡504

100.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$3.22 ₡1,447

-32.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 $9.16

$6.02 ₡2,706

52.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 $15.16

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.81 ₡1,264

-31.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.65 ₡1,643

-15.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.08 ₡487

-10.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.41 $29.41

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-54.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.48 $6.48

$2.26 ₡1,018

186.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.78 ₡799

-11.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.59 $29.59

$7.90 ₡3,551

274.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.50 ₡673

-32.67%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.97%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.71%

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

$237 $237

$93.2 ₡41.9K

154.21%

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

$71.7 $71.7

$36.13 ₡16.2K

98.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.3 $57.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-5.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.08 $24.08

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-65.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.80 $21.80

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-12.59%

Cinema Ticket

$15.42 $15.42

$7.67 ₡3,449

101.04%

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

$1,214 $1,214

$972 ₡436.9K

24.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K $19.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

4.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 $50.4

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-28.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.43 $45.43

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-19.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$129 ₡57.8K

-13.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$131 ₡58.8K

-5.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,773 $1,773

$1,170 ₡525.9K

51.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 $1,210

$943 ₡424.1K

28.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,744 $2,744

$1,984 ₡892.0K

38.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,859 $1,859

$1,400 ₡629.5K

32.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,272 $5,272

$2,681 ₡1.2M

96.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,209 $2,209

$2,037 ₡915.8K

8.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,737 $3,737

$987 ₡443.6K

278.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

8.62

-23.32%

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

Last update for Knoxville, TN: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Knoxville, TN

$1.2K 47.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 22% $267

Groceries & Markets

Knoxville, TN

$383 15.1%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 5.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knoxville, TN

$366 14.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 48.1% $176

Eating Out

Knoxville, TN

$324 12.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 28.3% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Knoxville, TN

$149 5.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 17.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Knoxville, TN

$55 2.2%

San Jose

$84 4% 53.4% $29

Getting Around

Knoxville, TN

$48 1.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 69.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,773 in Knoxville, TN and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Knoxville, TN pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Knoxville, TN vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $383 vs $403, with Knoxville, TN cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Knoxville, TN

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

19:25 7:25 PM

18:25 6:25 PM

1 h behind Knoxville, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,740

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Knoxville, TN San Jose 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Knoxville, TN
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

Knoxville, TN vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Knoxville, TN. 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 in Knoxville, TN is about 3.8 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: $1,773 in Knoxville, TN versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Knoxville, TN pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $75 in Knoxville, TN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,534 in Knoxville, TN, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Knoxville, TN. 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 at $2,107 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Jose hard to pass up.

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