Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima, OH and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,583 in Lima, OH, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Lima, OH
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Lima, OH Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Lima, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,583

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,583 in Lima, OH versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Lima, OH $2,583
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,667 in Lima, OH versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Lima, OH $3,667
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,750 in Lima, OH versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Lima, OH $4,750
San Jose $4,054

Living in Lima, OH is roughly 23% 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: Lima, OH 91% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.56 $21.56

$12.37 ₡5,563

74.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 $74.2

$62.4 ₡28.0K

18.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.05 $12.05

$11.71 ₡5,264

2.90%

Cappuccino

$5.31 $5.31

$4.54 ₡2,040

16.96%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$2.75 ₡1,238

-9.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.86 ₡837

8.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.11 $6.11

$3.35 ₡1,505

82.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 $7.04

$4.32 ₡1,944

62.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.51 $0.51

$2.36 ₡1,061

-78.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.07 ₡1,379

0.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.51 ₡1,128

110.76%

Eggs

$3.06 $3.06

$3.53 ₡1,585

-13.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.90 $8.90

$10.54 ₡4,738

-15.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.54 $14.54

$10.57 ₡4,754

37.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.71 $15.71

$13.92 ₡6,261

12.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$5.20 ₡2,338

-17.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.65 ₡740

-31.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$4.89 ₡2,198

-10.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.84 ₡1,728

13.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.91 ₡1,757

-42.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.76 ₡1,692

-42.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.12 ₡504

81.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$3.22 ₡1,447

-39.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.77 $9.77

$6.02 ₡2,706

62.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.08 $16.08

$19.84 ₡8,919

-18.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.81 ₡1,264

-24.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.65 ₡1,643

-46.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.08 ₡487

87.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.8 $59.8

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-8.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.26 ₡1,018

31.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.78 ₡799

-20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.92 $26.92

$7.90 ₡3,551

240.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.50 ₡673

-40.00%

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

$31.7K $31.7K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-5.42%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-43.64%

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

$222 $222

$93.2 ₡41.9K

138.54%

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

$67.8 $67.8

$36.13 ₡16.2K

87.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.1 $68.1

$60.6 ₡27.2K

12.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.50 $41.50

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-39.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.74 $47.74

$24.94 ₡11.2K

91.42%

Cinema Ticket

$13.23 $13.23

$7.67 ₡3,449

72.49%

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

$1,560 $1,560

$972 ₡436.9K

60.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.7K $33.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

78.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 $50.2

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-28.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.92 $41.92

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-26.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 $80.1

$129 ₡57.8K

-37.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$131 ₡58.8K

-16.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 $1,281

$1,170 ₡525.9K

9.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 $1,244

$943 ₡424.1K

31.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 $2,162

$1,984 ₡892.0K

9.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 $1,804

$1,400 ₡629.5K

28.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,399 $1,399

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-47.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,436 $1,436

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-29.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,178 $5,178

$987 ₡443.6K

424.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.62

-23.55%

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

Last update for Lima, OH: 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

Lima, OH

$1.2K 48.2%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 24.2% $301

Groceries & Markets

Lima, OH

$373 14.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 8% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima, OH

$358 13.9%

San Jose

$190 9% 47% $168

Eating Out

Lima, OH

$335 13%

San Jose

$232 11% 30.6% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Lima, OH

$127 4.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 37.3% $47

Getting Around

Lima, OH

$78 3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 3.5% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Lima, OH

$68 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 24% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,281 in Lima, OH and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima, OH pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Lima, OH vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $373 vs $403, with Lima, OH cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lima, OH

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

1 h behind Lima, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,868

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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 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

Lima, OH San Jose 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima, OH
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

Lima, OH vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,583 in Lima, OH and $2,107 in San Jose, so San Jose is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lima, OH is about 5.2 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: $1,281 in Lima, OH versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lima, OH pay roughly 7% 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 $74 in Lima, OH. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,583 in Lima, OH, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Lima, OH. 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.

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