Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lansing, IL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,424 in Lansing, IL, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Lansing, IL
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Lansing, IL Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Lansing, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,424

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,424 per month in Lansing, IL vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Lansing, IL $2,424
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,690 per month in Lansing, IL vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Lansing, IL $3,690
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $4,956 per month in Lansing, IL vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Lansing, IL $4,956
San Jose $3,929

Lansing, IL costs about 26% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lansing, IL and San Jose sit above the global median – Lansing, IL by 79%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.66 $19.66

$12.29 ₡5,513

59.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 $74.6

$62.3 ₡27.9K

19.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 $11.59

$11.53 ₡5,171

0.52%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$4.35 ₡1,953

19.31%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$2.64 ₡1,183

3.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.86 ₡836

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.32 ₡1,490

77.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.22 $7.22

$4.52 ₡2,026

59.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.39 ₡1,073

-58.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.08 ₡1,381

15.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.50 ₡1,119

78.00%

Eggs

$4.11 $4.11

$3.48 ₡1,562

18.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 $12.76

$10.74 ₡4,815

18.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.39 $11.39

$10.32 ₡4,629

10.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.88 $16.88

$14.10 ₡6,325

19.72%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$5.03 ₡2,256

1.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.59 ₡714

3.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$4.84 ₡2,171

-9.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$3.96 ₡1,776

20.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.76 ₡1,684

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.73 ₡1,674

-21.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.08 ₡485

102.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.25 ₡1,456

-31.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.96 $9.96

$5.86 ₡2,627

69.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 $15.07

$20.28 ₡9,095

-25.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.90 ₡1,300

-33.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.73 ₡1,673

-12.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.08 ₡486

89.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.50 ₡1,123

7.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.63 ₡732

-4.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.26 $33.26

$8.71 ₡3,904

281.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.58 ₡709

-28.48%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-17.06%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-36.79%

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

$196 $196

$93.7 ₡42.0K

108.93%

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

$66.0 $66.0

$35.42 ₡15.9K

86.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 $71.0

$60.0 ₡26.9K

18.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.95 $40.95

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-43.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$14.18 $14.18

$7.74 ₡3,471

83.20%

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

$1,377 $1,377

$1,005 ₡450.9K

37.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.8K $26.8K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

58.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 $55.9

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-23.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.58 $43.58

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-21.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$128 ₡57.5K

-21.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$130 ₡58.5K

-8.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,607 $1,607

$932 ₡418.0K

72.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 $1,143

$760 ₡340.8K

50.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 $2,651

$1,922 ₡862.0K

37.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,131 $2,131

$1,276 ₡572.1K

67.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,439 $2,439

$2,301 ₡1.0M

6.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,500 $2,500

$1,833 ₡821.9K

36.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,105 $3,105

$1,029 ₡461.3K

201.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Lansing, IL: October 18, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lansing, IL

$1.1K 47.2%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 33.5% $384

Groceries & Markets

Lansing, IL

$398 16.4%

San Jose

$403 21% 1.2% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lansing, IL

$333 13.7%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 43.2% $144

Eating Out

Lansing, IL

$317 13.1%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 27.8% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Lansing, IL

$144 6%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 20.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Lansing, IL

$69 2.9%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 27.1% $19

Getting Around

Lansing, IL

$19 * 0.8%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 331% $62

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,607 in Lansing, IL versus $932 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 202% higher in Lansing, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Lansing, IL versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $398 in Lansing, IL vs $403 in San Jose – so Lansing, IL wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lansing, IL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:10 4:10 PM

15:10 3:10 PM

1 h behind Lansing, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,644

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Lansing, IL San Jose 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lansing, IL
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

Lansing, IL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lansing, IL is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,636 per month in Lansing, IL and $2,886 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,424 in Lansing, IL and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 26%.

Kindergarten costs $1,377 per month in Lansing, IL and $1,005 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Lansing, IL at $2,424. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lansing, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lansing, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.