Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madison, WI and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,994 in Madison, WI, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Madison, WI
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Madison, WI Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Madison, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,994

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,994 per month in Madison, WI vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Madison, WI $2,994
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $4,424 per month in Madison, WI vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Madison, WI $4,424
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $5,854 per month in Madison, WI vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Madison, WI $5,854
San Jose $3,857

Madison, WI costs about 54% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Madison, WI and San Jose sit above the global median – Madison, WI by 123%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$12.22 ₡5,510

60.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 $68.0

$60.1 ₡27.1K

13.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.07 $13.07

$11.77 ₡5,305

11.05%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.30 ₡1,939

30.93%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$2.72 ₡1,226

16.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.84 ₡830

37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$3.28 ₡1,480

115.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 $8.23

$4.36 ₡1,966

88.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.38 ₡1,074

-58.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.12 ₡1,408

9.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.41 ₡1,086

71.37%

Eggs

$3.61 $3.61

$3.47 ₡1,564

4.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 $14.92

$10.57 ₡4,767

41.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$10.56 ₡4,758

25.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.06 $20.06

$13.75 ₡6,196

45.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$5.04 ₡2,274

-5.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.61 ₡727

0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$4.59 ₡2,069

15.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.84 ₡1,731

29.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$3.77 ₡1,700

-25.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$3.76 ₡1,693

-17.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.12 ₡506

95.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$3.20 ₡1,441

-24.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.77 $10.77

$5.84 ₡2,632

84.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.75 $15.75

$19.73 ₡8,897

-20.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.75 ₡1,240

-1.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$3.66 ₡1,650

21.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.12 ₡503

83.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 $65.5

$65.1 ₡29.4K

0.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.46 ₡1,110

61.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.54 ₡692

31.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.09 $43.09

$8.46 ₡3,815

409.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.55 ₡699

-34.84%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

65.87%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-26.52%

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

$269 $269

$94.7 ₡42.7K

184.25%

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

$52.5 $52.5

$35.11 ₡15.8K

49.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.8 $83.8

$58.6 ₡26.4K

43.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 $58.4

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-19.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.54 $10.54

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-58.16%

Cinema Ticket

$15.27 $15.27

$7.83 ₡3,532

95.02%

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

$1,705 $1,705

$971 ₡437.9K

75.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

35.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 $63.0

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-12.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 $50.0

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-8.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$129 ₡58.2K

-16.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$133 ₡60.0K

-8.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 $1,789

$934 ₡420.9K

91.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 $1,572

$770 ₡347.2K

104.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,177 $3,177

$1,945 ₡876.7K

63.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,316 ₡593.5K

94.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,524 $4,524

$2,277 ₡1.0M

98.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 $2,489

$1,795 ₡809.1K

38.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 $4,383

$1,006 ₡453.5K

335.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

8.62

-22.39%

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

Last update for Madison, WI: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madison, WI

$1.6K 51.1%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 51% $802

Groceries & Markets

Madison, WI

$432 14%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 7.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madison, WI

$405 13.2%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 53.5% $217

Eating Out

Madison, WI

$338 11%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 32.6% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Madison, WI

$154 5%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 13.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Madison, WI

$89 2.9%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 1.3% $1.1

Getting Around

Madison, WI

$88 2.9%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 9.2% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Madison, WI versus $934 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 run about 336% higher in Madison, WI, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Madison, WI versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $432 vs $399 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Madison, WI

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

1 h behind Madison, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

248,951

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

Madison, WI San Jose 3,720 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Madison, WI
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

Madison, WI vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,994 in Madison, WI, $1,949 in San Jose – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,491 per month in Madison, WI and $2,924 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 1% less in San Jose. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,705 per month in Madison, WI and $971 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in Madison, WI at $2,994. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madison, WI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,949 in San Jose to $2,994 in Madison, WI. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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