Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lexington, KY and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,289 in Lexington, KY, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lexington, KY outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

109

Cost of Living Index in Lexington, KY
Learn more

Lexington, KY Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Lexington, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,289

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,289 in Lexington, KY versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Lexington, KY $2,289
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,335 in Lexington, KY versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Lexington, KY $3,335
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,380 in Lexington, KY versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Lexington, KY $4,380
San Jose $4,054

Living in Lexington, KY is roughly 9% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lexington, KY 69% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.03 $13.03

$12.37 ₡5,563

5.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 $56.6

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-9.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 $8.85

$11.71 ₡5,264

-24.42%

Cappuccino

$5.12 $5.12

$4.54 ₡2,040

12.78%

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

$2.41 $2.41

$2.75 ₡1,238

-12.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.86 ₡837

12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.35 ₡1,505

47.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 $5.95

$4.32 ₡1,944

37.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$2.36 ₡1,061

-66.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.07 ₡1,379

-6.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.51 ₡1,128

54.98%

Eggs

$3.63 $3.63

$3.53 ₡1,585

2.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.36 $10.36

$10.54 ₡4,738

-1.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 $10.25

$10.57 ₡4,754

-3.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 $14.49

$13.92 ₡6,261

4.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$5.20 ₡2,338

4.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.65 ₡740

-7.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$4.89 ₡2,198

11.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.84 ₡1,728

13.02%

Potato (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$3.91 ₡1,757

10.23%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$3.76 ₡1,692

-15.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.12 ₡504

86.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$3.22 ₡1,447

-2.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.98 $8.98

$6.02 ₡2,706

49.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.02 $13.02

$19.84 ₡8,919

-34.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.81 ₡1,264

-5.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$3.65 ₡1,643

17.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.08 ₡487

-9.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.30 $30.30

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-53.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.26 ₡1,018

120.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.50 ₡673

-35.33%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-17.56%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.27%

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

$192 $192

$93.2 ₡41.9K

105.61%

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

$107 $107

$36.13 ₡16.2K

195.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.3 $76.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

25.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.73 $26.73

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-61.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.78 $29.78

$24.94 ₡11.2K

19.41%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 $14.70

$7.67 ₡3,449

91.66%

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

$2,289 $2,289

$972 ₡436.9K

135.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

25.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-27.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.87 $30.87

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-45.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 $118

$129 ₡57.8K

-8.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 $154

$131 ₡58.8K

18.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 $1,693

$1,170 ₡525.9K

44.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 $1,028

$943 ₡424.1K

8.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,688 $2,688

$1,984 ₡892.0K

35.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,672 $1,672

$1,400 ₡629.5K

19.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,279 $2,279

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-14.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,975 $1,975

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-3.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,098 $4,098

$987 ₡443.6K

315.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.62

-20.88%

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

Last update for Lexington, KY: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lexington, KY

$1K 44.9%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 8.2% $85

Groceries & Markets

Lexington, KY

$386 16.8%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 4.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lexington, KY

$375 16.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 49.3% $185

Eating Out

Lexington, KY

$247 10.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 5.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Lexington, KY

$159 7%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 9.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lexington, KY

$56 2.5%

San Jose

$84 4% 50.1% $28

Getting Around

Lexington, KY

$39 * 1.7%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 106% $41

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 $1,693 in Lexington, KY and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lexington, KY pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Lexington, KY vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $403 per month, with Lexington, KY cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lexington, KY

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

14:13 2:13 PM

13:13 1:13 PM

1 h behind Lexington, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,570

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lexington, KY San Jose 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lexington, KY
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

Lexington, KY vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Lexington, KY. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Lexington, KY is about 4.2 times higher, 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: $1,693 in Lexington, KY versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lexington, KY – a meal for two runs $57 versus $62 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,289 per month in Lexington, KY versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Lexington, KY on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.