Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London, KY and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,363 in London, KY, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London, KY outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

114

Cost of Living Index in London, KY
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London, KY Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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London, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,363

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,363 in London, KY versus $2,107 in San Jose.

London, KY $2,363
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in London, KY versus $3,081 in San Jose.

London, KY $3,389
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,414 in London, KY versus $4,054 in San Jose.

London, KY $4,414
San Jose $4,054

Living in London, KY is roughly 12% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London, KY 75% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.81 $14.81

$12.37 ₡5,563

19.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 $50.7

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-18.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.02 $9.02

$11.71 ₡5,264

-22.97%

Cappuccino

$4.77 $4.77

$4.54 ₡2,040

5.07%

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

$2.05 $2.05

$2.75 ₡1,238

-25.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.86 ₡837

-11.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.35 ₡1,505

51.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 $4.86

$4.32 ₡1,944

12.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$2.36 ₡1,061

-68.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 $2.70

$3.07 ₡1,379

-12.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.51 ₡1,128

60.56%

Eggs

$3.04 $3.04

$3.53 ₡1,585

-13.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.83 $12.83

$10.54 ₡4,738

21.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.10 $7.10

$10.57 ₡4,754

-32.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.93 $15.93

$13.92 ₡6,261

14.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$5.20 ₡2,338

-41.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.65 ₡740

-14.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$4.89 ₡2,198

-59.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$3.84 ₡1,728

-42.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$3.91 ₡1,757

-49.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$3.76 ₡1,692

-53.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.12 ₡504

21.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$3.22 ₡1,447

-40.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.71 $9.71

$6.02 ₡2,706

61.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.81 ₡1,264

-25.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.65 ₡1,643

-18.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.08 ₡487

88.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.1 $52.1

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-20.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.26 ₡1,018

61.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.78 ₡799

-29.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.76 $24.76

$7.90 ₡3,551

213.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.50 ₡673

-36.00%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

7.87%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.44%

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

$150 $150

$93.2 ₡41.9K

60.99%

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

$79.5 $79.5

$36.13 ₡16.2K

119.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 $71.5

$60.6 ₡27.2K

17.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.05 $34.05

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-50.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$15.14 $15.14

$7.67 ₡3,449

97.39%

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

$450 $450

$972 ₡436.9K

-53.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K $25.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

36.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.27 $30.27

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-57.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.44 $22.44

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-60.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.1 $74.1

$129 ₡57.8K

-42.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 $60.3

$131 ₡58.8K

-53.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$573 $573

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-51.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 $1,278

$943 ₡424.1K

35.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 $826

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-58.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,110 $2,110

$1,400 ₡629.5K

50.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,034 $3,034

$2,681 ₡1.2M

13.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,448 $2,448

$2,037 ₡915.8K

20.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.2

8.62

-28.07%

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

Last update for London, KY: 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

London, KY

$1.3K 54.1%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 26.2% $335

Groceries & Markets

London, KY

$312 13.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 29.1% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London, KY

$301 12.7%

San Jose

$190 9% 36.9% $111

Eating Out

London, KY

$253 10.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

London, KY

$84 3.6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 107% $90

Getting Around

London, KY

$70 3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 15% $11

Sport & Entertainment

London, KY

$64 2.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 31% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $573 in London, KY and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $51 in London, KY vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $403 per month, with London, KY cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 London, KY

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

17:13 5:13 PM

1 h behind London, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

London, KY San Jose 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London, 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

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

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in London, KY. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,544 in London, KY 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: $573 in London, KY versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in London, KY runs roughly 20% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $450 in London, KY versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.