Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lakewood, WA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $3,284 in Lakewood, WA, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

158

Cost of Living Index in Lakewood, WA
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Lakewood, WA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Lakewood, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,284

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,284 in Lakewood, WA versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Lakewood, WA $3,284
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,777 in Lakewood, WA versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Lakewood, WA $4,777
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,270 in Lakewood, WA versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Lakewood, WA $6,270
San Jose $3,929

Living in Lakewood, WA is roughly 71% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lakewood, WA 142% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.09 $18.09

$12.29 ₡5,513

47.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 $67.6

$62.3 ₡27.9K

8.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.71 $12.71

$11.53 ₡5,171

10.23%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$4.35 ₡1,953

19.54%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$2.64 ₡1,183

12.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.86 ₡836

10.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.32 ₡1,490

17.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.10 $6.10

$4.52 ₡2,026

34.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.39 ₡1,073

-57.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.08 ₡1,381

19.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$2.50 ₡1,119

69.60%

Eggs

$3.92 $3.92

$3.48 ₡1,562

12.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.72 $13.72

$10.74 ₡4,815

27.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.69 $8.69

$10.32 ₡4,629

-15.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$14.10 ₡6,325

-20.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$5.03 ₡2,256

-12.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.59 ₡714

22.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$4.84 ₡2,171

-14.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.96 ₡1,776

14.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$3.76 ₡1,684

-47.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.73 ₡1,674

-42.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.08 ₡485

87.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$3.25 ₡1,456

-23.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 $12.36

$5.86 ₡2,627

110.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.84 $15.84

$20.28 ₡9,095

-21.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.90 ₡1,300

-31.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.73 ₡1,673

11.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.08 ₡486

88.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$197 $197

$65.5 ₡29.4K

200.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.50 ₡1,123

-19.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 $0.64

$1.63 ₡732

-60.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.31 $27.31

$8.71 ₡3,904

213.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.58 ₡709

-15.19%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-16.38%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-36.87%

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

$289 $289

$93.7 ₡42.0K

208.31%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$35.42 ₡15.9K

108.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.5 $89.5

$60.0 ₡26.9K

49.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.00 $41.00

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-43.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.97 $24.97

$25.83 ₡11.6K

-3.33%

Cinema Ticket

$18.08 $18.08

$7.74 ₡3,471

133.59%

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

$1,965 $1,965

$1,005 ₡450.9K

95.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.7K $25.7K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

51.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 $50.1

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-31.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 $38.11

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-31.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$128 ₡57.5K

-21.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$130 ₡58.5K

4.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 $1,961

$932 ₡418.0K

110.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,733 $1,733

$760 ₡340.8K

128.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,365 $3,365

$1,922 ₡862.0K

75.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,047 $3,047

$1,276 ₡572.1K

138.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,359 $2,359

$2,301 ₡1.0M

2.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,606 $2,606

$1,833 ₡821.9K

42.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

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 Lakewood, WA: 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

Lakewood, WA

$1.7K 52.8%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 56.1% $973

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lakewood, WA

$452 13.8%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 58.2% $263

Groceries & Markets

Lakewood, WA

$369 11.2%

San Jose

$403 21% 9.4% $35

Eating Out

Lakewood, WA

$297 9.1%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 23% $68

Getting Around

Lakewood, WA

$210 6.4%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 61.7% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Lakewood, WA

$146 4.5%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 19.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lakewood, WA

$77 2.4%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 14.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,961 in Lakewood, WA and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Lakewood, WA vs $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $369 vs $403, with Lakewood, WA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lakewood, WA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

05:44 5:44 AM

1 h ahead of Lakewood, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,024

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

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Between locations

Lakewood, WA San Jose 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lakewood, 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

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

Lakewood, WA and San Jose differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($3,284 vs $1,924 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,926 in Lakewood, WA and $2,886 in San Jose to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,961 in Lakewood, WA versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $68.0 in Lakewood, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,284 per month in Lakewood, WA versus $1,924 in San Jose – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $3,284 in Lakewood, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Lakewood, WA. 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.

Safety-wise, Lakewood, 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 71% less than in Lakewood, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.