Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lacey, WA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,713 in Lacey, WA, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Lacey, WA
Learn more

Lacey, WA Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Lacey, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,713

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,713 in Lacey, WA versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Lacey, WA $2,713
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,810 in Lacey, WA versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Lacey, WA $3,810
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,907 in Lacey, WA versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Lacey, WA $4,907
San Jose $3,934

Living in Lacey, WA is roughly 40% 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: Lacey, WA 101% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.13 $25.13

$12.38 ₡5,551

102.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.8 $70.8

$60.9 ₡27.3K

16.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.98 $14.98

$11.45 ₡5,135

30.83%

Cappuccino

$6.75 $6.75

$4.39 ₡1,967

53.76%

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

$3.27 $3.27

$2.70 ₡1,211

21.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.93 ₡864

52.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$3.20 ₡1,433

154.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 $8.14

$4.41 ₡1,979

84.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.44 ₡1,093

-54.51%

White Bread (500g)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.05 ₡1,369

51.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.41 ₡1,081

31.54%

Eggs

$5.06 $5.06

$3.40 ₡1,523

48.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.05 $18.05

$10.75 ₡4,823

67.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.77 $10.77

$10.43 ₡4,679

3.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.60 $16.60

$13.99 ₡6,273

18.66%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$5.25 ₡2,353

-3.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.59 ₡712

4.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$4.69 ₡2,103

-13.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$3.95 ₡1,770

17.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.92 ₡1,760

-31.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 $2.43

$3.68 ₡1,651

-33.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.12 ₡503

156.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.19 ₡1,429

-22.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.53 $12.53

$6.00 ₡2,692

108.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 $15.10

$19.56 ₡8,771

-22.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.82 ₡1,263

-15.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$3.59 ₡1,611

-35.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.12 ₡503

99.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.50 ₡1,119

5.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.63 ₡733

4.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.77 $29.77

$8.50 ₡3,812

250.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.56 ₡701

-12.82%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

62.72%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-26.87%

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

$217 $217

$95.2 ₡42.7K

127.98%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$35.58 ₡16.0K

95.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.5 $93.5

$58.6 ₡26.3K

59.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.35 $42.35

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-41.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$12.71 $12.71

$7.58 ₡3,401

67.68%

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

$1,456 $1,456

$1,001 ₡449.0K

45.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K $31.2K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

81.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.47 $44.47

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-36.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.9 $53.9

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-3.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 $88.5

$130 ₡58.2K

-31.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$131 ₡58.7K

-23.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 $1,674

$927 ₡415.8K

80.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 $1,283

$774 ₡347.2K

65.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,816 $2,816

$1,967 ₡882.0K

43.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,842 $1,842

$1,288 ₡577.6K

43.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,007 $3,007

$2,274 ₡1.0M

32.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,138 $2,138

$1,831 ₡821.0K

16.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,295 $4,295

$1,016 ₡455.8K

322.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

8.62

-21.00%

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

Last update for Lacey, 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

Lacey, WA

$1.3K 47.3%

San Jose

$774 40% 39.7% $509

Groceries & Markets

Lacey, WA

$424 15.6%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 5.3% $23

Eating Out

Lacey, WA

$409 15.1%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 43.9% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lacey, WA

$380 14%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 50.2% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Lacey, WA

$129 4.8%

San Jose

$174 9% 34.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Lacey, WA

$68 2.5%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 29.6% $20

Getting Around

Lacey, WA

$20 * 0.7%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 308% $62

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 $1,674 in Lacey, WA and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lacey, WA pays 323% 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: $71.0 in Lacey, WA vs $61.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $424 vs $401 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lacey, WA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:37 11:37 AM

12:37 12:37 PM

1 h ahead of Lacey, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,526

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lacey, WA San Jose 5,500 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lacey, 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

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

San Jose is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 323% higher in Lacey, 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: $1,674 in Lacey, WA versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,456 in Lacey, WA versus $1,001 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $71.0 in Lacey, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,713 in Lacey, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Lacey, WA. 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 Lacey, WA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lacey, WA and San Jose are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Lacey, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.