Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lexington, MA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,516 in Lexington, MA, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Lexington, MA
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Lexington, MA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Lexington, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,516

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,516 in Lexington, MA versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Lexington, MA $2,516
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,447 in Lexington, MA versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Lexington, MA $4,447
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,379 in Lexington, MA versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Lexington, MA $6,379
San Jose $4,054

Living in Lexington, MA is roughly 19% 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: Lexington, MA 86% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$12.37 ₡5,563

63.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$62.4 ₡28.0K

22.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.12 $16.12

$11.71 ₡5,264

37.66%

Cappuccino

$5.06 $5.06

$4.54 ₡2,040

11.45%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$2.75 ₡1,238

1.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.86 ₡837

10.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 $6.89

$3.35 ₡1,505

105.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.92 $7.92

$4.32 ₡1,944

83.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.36 ₡1,061

-54.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.07 ₡1,379

8.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.51 ₡1,128

85.26%

Eggs

$3.81 $3.81

$3.53 ₡1,585

7.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 $11.24

$10.54 ₡4,738

6.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.30 $12.30

$10.57 ₡4,754

16.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.28 $15.28

$13.92 ₡6,261

9.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$5.20 ₡2,338

-6.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.65 ₡740

13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$4.89 ₡2,198

-7.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$3.84 ₡1,728

10.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$3.91 ₡1,757

-36.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.76 ₡1,692

-23.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.12 ₡504

105.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$3.22 ₡1,447

-24.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.21 $11.21

$6.02 ₡2,706

86.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$19.84 ₡8,919

-24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.81 ₡1,264

-28.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.65 ₡1,643

-18.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.08 ₡487

74.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.9 $51.9

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-20.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.26 ₡1,018

73.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.78 ₡799

-8.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.86 $33.86

$7.90 ₡3,551

328.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.50 ₡673

-30.67%

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

$30.9K $30.9K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-7.58%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-32.49%

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

$211 $211

$93.2 ₡41.9K

126.23%

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

$58.4 $58.4

$36.13 ₡16.2K

61.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

14.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.76 $39.76

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-42.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 $13.95

$7.67 ₡3,449

81.88%

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

$1,387 $1,387

$972 ₡436.9K

42.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K $20.5K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

8.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-27.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.61 $43.61

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-23.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 $87.3

$129 ₡57.8K

-32.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$131 ₡58.8K

-6.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 $1,433

$1,170 ₡525.9K

22.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 $1,169

$943 ₡424.1K

23.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,782 $2,782

$1,984 ₡892.0K

40.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,439 $3,439

$1,400 ₡629.5K

145.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,785 $2,785

$2,681 ₡1.2M

3.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,337 $2,337

$2,037 ₡915.8K

14.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.62

-21.23%

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

Last update for Lexington, MA: November 3, 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, MA

$1.2K 46.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 19.3% $226

Groceries & Markets

Lexington, MA

$392 15.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 2.8% $11

Eating Out

Lexington, MA

$340 13.5%

San Jose

$232 11% 31.7% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lexington, MA

$338 13.5%

San Jose

$190 9% 43.9% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Lexington, MA

$137 5.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 26.8% $37

Getting Around

Lexington, MA

$71 2.8%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 13% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lexington, MA

$68 2.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 24.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,433 in Lexington, MA and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76 in Lexington, MA vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $392 vs $403, with Lexington, MA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lexington, MA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

21:17 9:17 PM

20:17 8:17 PM

1 h behind Lexington, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,570

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lexington, MA San Jose 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,516 in Lexington, MA and $2,107 in San Jose, so San Jose is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,774 in Lexington, MA and $3,161 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: $1,433 in Lexington, MA versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lexington, MA pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $76 in Lexington, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,516 in Lexington, MA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Lexington, MA. 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.