Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Island, NY and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $4,291 in Long Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $26,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

204

Cost of Living Index in Long Island, NY
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Long Island, NY Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Long Island, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,291

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,291 per month in Long Island, NY vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Long Island, NY $4,291
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $5,918 per month in Long Island, NY vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Long Island, NY $5,918
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $7,545 per month in Long Island, NY vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Long Island, NY $7,545
San Jose $4,054

Long Island, NY costs about 104% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Long Island, NY and San Jose sit above the global median – Long Island, NY by 217%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.24 $25.24

$12.37 ₡5,563

104.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.5 $98.5

$62.4 ₡28.0K

57.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 $10.81

$11.71 ₡5,264

-7.69%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.54 ₡2,040

11.01%

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

$2.17 $2.17

$2.75 ₡1,238

-21.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.86 ₡837

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.91 $7.91

$3.35 ₡1,505

136.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$4.32 ₡1,944

86.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.36 ₡1,061

-43.64%

White Bread (500g)

$4.21 $4.21

$3.07 ₡1,379

37.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.51 ₡1,128

-19.52%

Eggs

$5.26 $5.26

$3.53 ₡1,585

49.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 $7.41

$10.54 ₡4,738

-29.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.83 $15.83

$10.57 ₡4,754

49.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.64 $16.64

$13.92 ₡6,261

19.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$5.20 ₡2,338

-19.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.65 ₡740

-27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$4.89 ₡2,198

-56.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.13 $6.13

$3.84 ₡1,728

59.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$3.91 ₡1,757

-72.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$3.76 ₡1,692

-43.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.12 ₡504

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.22 ₡1,447

-12.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.81 $11.81

$6.02 ₡2,706

96.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.59 $17.59

$19.84 ₡8,919

-11.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.81 ₡1,264

-37.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$3.65 ₡1,643

12.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.08 ₡487

175.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 $133

$65.2 ₡29.3K

103.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.26 ₡1,018

30.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.78 ₡799

12.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.94 $23.94

$7.90 ₡3,551

203.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.50 ₡673

-27.33%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-17.44%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.89%

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

$187 $187

$93.2 ₡41.9K

100.67%

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

$48.56 $48.56

$36.13 ₡16.2K

34.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 $53.5

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-11.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.71 $31.71

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-54.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$103 $103

$24.94 ₡11.2K

311.23%

Cinema Ticket

$14.32 $14.32

$7.67 ₡3,449

86.70%

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

$2,499 $2,499

$972 ₡436.9K

157.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$46.9K $46.9K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

148.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.41 $39.41

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-44.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 $57.0

$56.7 ₡25.5K

0.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 $76.8

$129 ₡57.8K

-40.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 $157

$131 ₡58.8K

20.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,021 $3,021

$1,170 ₡525.9K

158.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,867 $2,867

$943 ₡424.1K

203.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,806 $5,806

$1,984 ₡892.0K

192.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,171 $4,171

$1,400 ₡629.5K

197.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,156 $6,156

$2,681 ₡1.2M

129.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,203 $4,203

$2,037 ₡915.8K

106.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,621 $4,621

$987 ₡443.6K

368.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

8.62

-23.09%

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

Last update for Long Island, NY: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Long Island, NY

$2.9K 66.8%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 67.1% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Long Island, NY

$403 9.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 0.1% $0.2

Eating Out

Long Island, NY

$365 8.5%

San Jose

$232 11% 36.4% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Island, NY

$289 6.7%

San Jose

$190 9% 34.3% $99

Getting Around

Long Island, NY

$157 3.7%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 48.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Long Island, NY

$149 3.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 17% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Long Island, NY

$60 1.4%

San Jose

$84 4% 39.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,021 in Long Island, NY versus $1,170 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Long Island, NY are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Long Island, NY versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $403 in Long Island, NY vs $403 in San Jose – so Long Island, NY wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Island, NY

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

19:52 7:52 PM

1 h behind Long Island, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,804,968

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 = 0.891 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

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Between locations

Long Island, NY San Jose 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Long Island, NY
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

Long Island, NY vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,291 in Long Island, NY, $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,437 per month in Long Island, NY and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $3,021 in Long Island, NY.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Long Island, NY and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 51% less in San Jose. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Long Island, NY at $4,291. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Long Island, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Long Island, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $4,291 in Long Island, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Long Island, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.