Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lewiston, ID and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,119 in Lewiston, ID, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Lewiston, ID
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Lewiston, ID Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Lewiston, ID

🇺🇸 United States

$2,119

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,119 in Lewiston, ID versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Lewiston, ID $2,119
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,195 in Lewiston, ID versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Lewiston, ID $3,195
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,270 in Lewiston, ID versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Lewiston, ID $4,270
San Jose $3,929

Living in Lewiston, ID is roughly 10% 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: Lewiston, ID 56% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.87 $19.87

$12.29 ₡5,513

61.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.6 $58.6

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-5.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.09 $13.09

$11.53 ₡5,171

13.53%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$4.35 ₡1,953

37.47%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$2.64 ₡1,183

11.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.86 ₡836

18.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.32 ₡1,490

78.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$4.52 ₡2,026

52.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.39 ₡1,073

-54.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$3.08 ₡1,381

12.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.50 ₡1,119

68.80%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$3.48 ₡1,562

21.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.79 $12.79

$10.74 ₡4,815

19.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 $10.61

$10.32 ₡4,629

2.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 $16.82

$14.10 ₡6,325

19.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.03 ₡2,256

-13.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.59 ₡714

2.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$4.84 ₡2,171

-11.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$3.96 ₡1,776

20.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.76 ₡1,684

-23.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$3.73 ₡1,674

-15.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.08 ₡485

100.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$3.25 ₡1,456

-29.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.34 $9.34

$5.86 ₡2,627

59.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.82 $16.82

$20.28 ₡9,095

-17.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.90 ₡1,300

-26.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 $3.35

$3.73 ₡1,673

-10.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.08 ₡486

107.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.50 ₡1,123

21.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.63 ₡732

2.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.90 $27.90

$8.71 ₡3,904

220.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.58 ₡709

-42.41%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-23.21%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-42.81%

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

$219 $219

$93.7 ₡42.0K

134.15%

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

$66.9 $66.9

$35.42 ₡15.9K

88.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.1 $70.1

$60.0 ₡26.9K

16.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.90 $37.90

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-47.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$13.27 $13.27

$7.74 ₡3,471

71.45%

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

$1,455 $1,455

$1,005 ₡450.9K

44.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K $24.4K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

44.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 $59.1

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-19.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.32 $35.32

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-36.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 $96.3

$128 ₡57.5K

-24.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$130 ₡58.5K

-2.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 $1,036

$932 ₡418.0K

11.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$805 $805

$760 ₡340.8K

5.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 $1,738

$1,922 ₡862.0K

-9.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 $1,488

$1,276 ₡572.1K

16.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,907 $2,907

$2,301 ₡1.0M

26.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 $2,348

$1,833 ₡821.9K

28.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,623 $2,623

$1,029 ₡461.3K

155.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.54

8.62

-12.53%

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

Last update for Lewiston, ID: 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

Lewiston, ID

$805 38%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 5.6% $45

Groceries & Markets

Lewiston, ID

$396 18.7%

San Jose

$403 21% 1.9% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lewiston, ID

$356 16.8%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 46.9% $167

Eating Out

Lewiston, ID

$334 15.8%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 31.5% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Lewiston, ID

$143 6.8%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 21.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Lewiston, ID

$64 3%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 36.7% $24

Getting Around

Lewiston, ID

$20 * 1%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 295% $60

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 $1,036 in Lewiston, ID and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lewiston, ID pays 155% 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: $59.0 in Lewiston, ID vs $62.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $396 vs $403 per month, with Lewiston, ID cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lewiston, ID

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

15:12 3:12 PM

1 h ahead of Lewiston, ID

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,226

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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Between locations

Lewiston, ID San Jose 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lewiston, ID
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

Lewiston, ID vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lewiston, ID and San Jose differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,119 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 155% higher in Lewiston, ID, 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: $1,036 in Lewiston, ID versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lewiston, ID pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,119 per month in Lewiston, ID versus $1,924 in San Jose – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,119 in Lewiston, ID, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Lewiston, ID. 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 10% less than in Lewiston, ID. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.