Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manassas, VA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,079 in Manassas, VA, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Manassas, VA
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Manassas, VA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Manassas, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,079

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,079 in Manassas, VA versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Manassas, VA $3,079
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,491 in Manassas, VA versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Manassas, VA $4,491
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,904 in Manassas, VA versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Manassas, VA $5,904
San Jose $4,054

Living in Manassas, VA is roughly 46% 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: Manassas, VA 128% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.78 $23.78

$12.37 ₡5,563

92.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.9 $88.9

$62.4 ₡28.0K

42.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.49 $12.49

$11.71 ₡5,264

6.66%

Cappuccino

$6.17 $6.17

$4.54 ₡2,040

35.90%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$2.75 ₡1,238

-5.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.86 ₡837

25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.30 $7.30

$3.35 ₡1,505

117.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.47 $8.47

$4.32 ₡1,944

96.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.36 ₡1,061

-53.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$3.07 ₡1,379

35.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.91 $6.91

$2.51 ₡1,128

175.30%

Eggs

$5.35 $5.35

$3.53 ₡1,585

51.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 $17.02

$10.54 ₡4,738

61.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.45 $14.45

$10.57 ₡4,754

36.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 $18.30

$13.92 ₡6,261

31.47%

Apples (1kg)

$7.46 $7.46

$5.20 ₡2,338

43.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.65 ₡740

43.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.32 $8.32

$4.89 ₡2,198

70.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.02 $7.02

$3.84 ₡1,728

82.81%

Potato (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$3.91 ₡1,757

38.87%

Onion (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.76 ₡1,692

8.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.12 ₡504

112.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.22 ₡1,447

-17.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.55 $9.55

$6.02 ₡2,706

58.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.07 $14.07

$19.84 ₡8,919

-29.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.81 ₡1,264

-17.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.77 $4.77

$3.65 ₡1,643

30.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.91 $4.91

$1.08 ₡487

354.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 $100

$65.2 ₡29.3K

53.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.26 ₡1,018

75.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.78 ₡799

-12.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.14 $24.14

$7.90 ₡3,551

205.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.50 ₡673

-30.00%

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

$34.3K $34.3K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

2.51%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.57%

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

$214 $214

$93.2 ₡41.9K

129.14%

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

$62.1 $62.1

$36.13 ₡16.2K

71.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.4 $77.4

$60.6 ₡27.2K

27.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.99 $42.99

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-37.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 $20.08

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-19.49%

Cinema Ticket

$17.99 $17.99

$7.67 ₡3,449

134.55%

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

$1,921 $1,921

$972 ₡436.9K

97.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K $28.2K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

49.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 $53.4

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-24.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 $43.41

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-23.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$129 ₡57.8K

-20.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$131 ₡58.8K

-18.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,843 $1,843

$1,170 ₡525.9K

57.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 $1,488

$943 ₡424.1K

57.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,874 $2,874

$1,984 ₡892.0K

44.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,338 $2,338

$1,400 ₡629.5K

66.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,716 $2,716

$2,681 ₡1.2M

1.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,499 $2,499

$2,037 ₡915.8K

22.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,809 $4,809

$987 ₡443.6K

387.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

8.62

-20.42%

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

Last update for Manassas, VA: 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

Manassas, VA

$1.5K 48.3%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 36.6% $545

Groceries & Markets

Manassas, VA

$515 16.7%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 21.8% $112

Eating Out

Manassas, VA

$375 12.2%

San Jose

$232 11% 38% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manassas, VA

$353 11.5%

San Jose

$190 9% 46.2% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Manassas, VA

$138 4.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 26.6% $37

Getting Around

Manassas, VA

$131 4.3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 38.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Manassas, VA

$79 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 6.7% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,843 in Manassas, VA and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manassas, VA pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $89 in Manassas, VA vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $515 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Manassas, VA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

09:24 9:24 AM

1 h behind Manassas, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,772

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 = 0.89 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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Highest

Between locations

Manassas, VA San Jose 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Manassas, VA
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

Manassas, VA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Manassas, VA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Manassas, VA is about 4.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,843 in Manassas, VA 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 San Jose runs roughly 35% less than in Manassas, VA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,921 in Manassas, VA versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,079 in Manassas, VA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Manassas, VA. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Manassas, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.