Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Geneva, WI and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,464 in Lake Geneva, WI, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Lake Geneva, WI
Learn more

Lake Geneva, WI Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Lake Geneva, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,464

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,464 in Lake Geneva, WI versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Lake Geneva, WI $2,464
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,622 in Lake Geneva, WI versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Lake Geneva, WI $3,622
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,780 in Lake Geneva, WI versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Lake Geneva, WI $4,780
San Jose $3,929

Living in Lake Geneva, WI is roughly 28% 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: Lake Geneva, WI 82% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.49 $21.49

$12.29 ₡5,513

74.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.0 $90.0

$62.3 ₡27.9K

44.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.95 $12.95

$11.53 ₡5,171

12.32%

Cappuccino

$5.82 $5.82

$4.35 ₡1,953

33.79%

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

$2.70 $2.70

$2.64 ₡1,183

2.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.86 ₡836

26.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.95 $6.95

$3.32 ₡1,490

109.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.86 $8.86

$4.52 ₡2,026

96.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.39 ₡1,073

-57.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.08 ₡1,381

-20.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.50 ₡1,119

102.40%

Eggs

$2.00 $2.00

$3.48 ₡1,562

-42.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 $13.97

$10.74 ₡4,815

30.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 $9.65

$10.32 ₡4,629

-6.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 $9.92

$14.10 ₡6,325

-29.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$5.03 ₡2,256

-17.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.59 ₡714

21.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$4.84 ₡2,171

-14.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$3.96 ₡1,776

19.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$3.76 ₡1,684

-29.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$3.73 ₡1,674

-28.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.08 ₡485

104.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.25 ₡1,456

-8.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.45 $8.45

$5.86 ₡2,627

44.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.84 $12.84

$20.28 ₡9,095

-36.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.90 ₡1,300

-8.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.73 ₡1,673

-9.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.08 ₡486

99.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.50 ₡1,123

32.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.63 ₡732

-16.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.17 $25.17

$8.71 ₡3,904

188.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.58 ₡709

-42.41%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

5.30%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-36.93%

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

$192 $192

$93.7 ₡42.0K

104.78%

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

$67.3 $67.3

$35.42 ₡15.9K

90.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 $50.6

$60.0 ₡26.9K

-15.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.35 $42.35

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-41.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$10.13 $10.13

$7.74 ₡3,471

30.88%

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

$1,687 $1,687

$1,005 ₡450.9K

67.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.5K $31.5K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

86.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 $66.7

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-8.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 $50.7

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-8.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 $98.3

$128 ₡57.5K

-23.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 $146

$130 ₡58.5K

11.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 $1,610

$932 ₡418.0K

72.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 $1,198

$760 ₡340.8K

57.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,754 $2,754

$1,922 ₡862.0K

43.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,911 $1,911

$1,276 ₡572.1K

49.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,513 $2,513

$2,301 ₡1.0M

9.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,682 $2,682

$1,833 ₡821.9K

46.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,761 $3,761

$1,029 ₡461.3K

265.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.62

-25.17%

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

Last update for Lake Geneva, WI: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lake Geneva, WI

$1.2K 48.6%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 36.6% $438

Groceries & Markets

Lake Geneva, WI

$359 14.6%

San Jose

$403 21% 12.4% $44

Eating Out

Lake Geneva, WI

$353 14.3%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 35.2% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lake Geneva, WI

$310 12.6%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 38.9% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Lake Geneva, WI

$163 6.6%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 7.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lake Geneva, WI

$63 2.5%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 40.7% $25

Getting Around

Lake Geneva, WI

$19 * 0.8%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 330% $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 $1,610 in Lake Geneva, WI and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lake Geneva, WI pays 266% 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: $90.0 in Lake Geneva, WI vs $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $359 vs $403, with Lake Geneva, WI cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lake Geneva, WI

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

22:44 10:44 PM

1 h behind Lake Geneva, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Lake Geneva, WI San Jose 3,660 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lake Geneva, WI
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

Lake Geneva, WI vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lake Geneva, WI and San Jose differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,464 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 266% higher in Lake Geneva, WI, 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: $1,610 in Lake Geneva, WI versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,687 in Lake Geneva, WI versus $1,005 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 $62.0 versus $90.0 in Lake Geneva, WI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,464 in Lake Geneva, WI, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Lake Geneva, WI. 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 28% less than in Lake Geneva, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.