Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lombard, IL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,625 in Lombard, IL, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Lombard, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,625

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,625 in Lombard, IL versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Lombard, IL $2,625
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,685 in Lombard, IL versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Lombard, IL $3,685
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,745 in Lombard, IL versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Lombard, IL $4,745
San Jose $3,929

Living in Lombard, IL is roughly 36% 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: Lombard, IL 94% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.91 $19.91

$12.29 ₡5,513

62.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 $73.5

$62.3 ₡27.9K

18.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 $11.30

$11.53 ₡5,171

-1.99%

Cappuccino

$6.33 $6.33

$4.35 ₡1,953

45.52%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$2.64 ₡1,183

1.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.86 ₡836

38.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 $7.05

$3.32 ₡1,490

112.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 $6.01

$4.52 ₡2,026

32.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.39 ₡1,073

-59.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.08 ₡1,381

15.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.50 ₡1,119

79.20%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$3.48 ₡1,562

22.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.20 $12.20

$10.74 ₡4,815

13.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 $11.69

$10.32 ₡4,629

13.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 $16.87

$14.10 ₡6,325

19.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$5.03 ₡2,256

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.59 ₡714

-1.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$4.84 ₡2,171

-10.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$3.96 ₡1,776

21.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.76 ₡1,684

-26.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$3.73 ₡1,674

-19.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.08 ₡485

85.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$3.25 ₡1,456

-40.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.18 $10.18

$5.86 ₡2,627

73.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.98 $14.98

$20.28 ₡9,095

-26.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.90 ₡1,300

-31.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.73 ₡1,673

-7.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.08 ₡486

78.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.50 ₡1,123

6.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.63 ₡732

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.54 $32.54

$8.71 ₡3,904

273.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.58 ₡709

-24.05%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-23.40%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-40.01%

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

$225 $225

$93.7 ₡42.0K

139.88%

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

$58.7 $58.7

$35.42 ₡15.9K

65.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$60.0 ₡26.9K

15.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.48 $41.48

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-42.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$14.03 $14.03

$7.74 ₡3,471

81.27%

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

$1,562 $1,562

$1,005 ₡450.9K

55.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K $24.5K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

44.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.6 $60.6

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-17.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.12 $37.12

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-33.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$128 ₡57.5K

-33.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$130 ₡58.5K

-1.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 $1,612

$932 ₡418.0K

72.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$760 ₡340.8K

72.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,313 $2,313

$1,922 ₡862.0K

20.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,891 $1,891

$1,276 ₡572.1K

48.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,780 $2,780

$2,301 ₡1.0M

20.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,167 $2,167

$1,833 ₡821.9K

18.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

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 Lombard, IL: October 20, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lombard, IL

$1.3K 50%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 42.1% $553

Groceries & Markets

Lombard, IL

$394 15%

San Jose

$403 21% 2.3% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lombard, IL

$353 13.4%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 46.4% $164

Eating Out

Lombard, IL

$337 12.9%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 32.2% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Lombard, IL

$140 5.3%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 24.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lombard, IL

$70 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 26.6% $19

Getting Around

Lombard, IL

$19 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 335% $62

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 $1,612 in Lombard, IL and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74.0 in Lombard, IL vs $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $394 vs $403, with Lombard, IL cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lombard, IL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

23:38 11:38 PM

22:38 10:38 PM

1 h behind Lombard, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,792

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Lombard, IL San Jose 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lombard, 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

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

San Jose is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,938 in Lombard, IL and $2,886 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: $1,612 in Lombard, IL versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $2,625 per month in Lombard, IL versus $1,924 in San Jose – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,625 in Lombard, IL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Lombard, IL. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lombard, IL, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lombard, IL and San Jose are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Lombard, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.