Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malden, MA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,504 in Malden, MA, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Malden, MA
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Malden, MA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Malden, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,504

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,504 per month in Malden, MA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Malden, MA $3,504
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,792 per month in Malden, MA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Malden, MA $4,792
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $6,081 per month in Malden, MA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Malden, MA $6,081
San Jose $4,054

Malden, MA costs about 66% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Malden, MA and San Jose sit above the global median – Malden, MA by 159%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$12.37 ₡5,563

58.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.6 $93.6

$62.4 ₡28.0K

49.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.73 $14.73

$11.71 ₡5,264

25.79%

Cappuccino

$5.37 $5.37

$4.54 ₡2,040

18.28%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$2.75 ₡1,238

7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.86 ₡837

22.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.80 $5.80

$3.35 ₡1,505

73.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$4.32 ₡1,944

83.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.36 ₡1,061

-48.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.96 $3.96

$3.07 ₡1,379

28.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.51 ₡1,128

117.13%

Eggs

$4.84 $4.84

$3.53 ₡1,585

37.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 $12.09

$10.54 ₡4,738

14.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.32 $14.32

$10.57 ₡4,754

35.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 $17.68

$13.92 ₡6,261

27.01%

Apples (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$5.20 ₡2,338

32.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.65 ₡740

8.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.50 $5.50

$4.89 ₡2,198

12.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$3.84 ₡1,728

47.66%

Potato (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$3.91 ₡1,757

10.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$3.76 ₡1,692

-48.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.12 ₡504

141.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$3.22 ₡1,447

-28.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.25 $13.25

$6.02 ₡2,706

120.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 $14.17

$19.84 ₡8,919

-28.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.81 ₡1,264

-26.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.65 ₡1,643

22.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.08 ₡487

136.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 $90.6

$65.2 ₡29.3K

38.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.26 ₡1,018

17.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.78 ₡799

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.81 $27.81

$7.90 ₡3,551

252.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.50 ₡673

-27.33%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-17.31%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.64%

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

$241 $241

$93.2 ₡41.9K

158.39%

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

$56.6 $56.6

$36.13 ₡16.2K

56.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.0 $81.0

$60.6 ₡27.2K

33.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.85 $34.85

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-49.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$15.85 $15.85

$7.67 ₡3,449

106.65%

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

$1,802 $1,802

$972 ₡436.9K

85.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.1K $44.1K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

133.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 $57.7

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-18.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.82 $37.82

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-33.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.0 $79.0

$129 ₡57.8K

-38.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 $99.3

$131 ₡58.8K

-24.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,439 $2,439

$1,170 ₡525.9K

108.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 $2,039

$943 ₡424.1K

116.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,554 $3,554

$1,984 ₡892.0K

79.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,838 $2,838

$1,400 ₡629.5K

102.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,726 $4,726

$987 ₡443.6K

379.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Malden, MA: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malden, MA

$2K 58.2%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 53.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Malden, MA

$452 12.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 11% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malden, MA

$378 10.8%

San Jose

$190 9% 49.8% $188

Eating Out

Malden, MA

$331 9.5%

San Jose

$232 11% 29.8% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Malden, MA

$123 3.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 41.2% $51

Getting Around

Malden, MA

$112 3.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 28.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Malden, MA

$67 1.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 26.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,439 in Malden, MA 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 Malden, MA are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94 in Malden, MA versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $452 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Malden, MA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

14:18 2:18 PM

1 h behind Malden, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,450

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

Malden, MA San Jose 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Malden, MA
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

Malden, MA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Malden, MA is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,255 per month in Malden, MA 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 $2,439 in Malden, MA.

Public transport costs about 28% less in San Jose. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,802 per month in Malden, MA and $972 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 $2,107, than in Malden, MA at $3,504. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malden, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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