Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manteca, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,729 in Manteca, CA, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Manteca, CA
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Manteca, CA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Manteca, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,729

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,729 per month in Manteca, CA vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Manteca, CA $2,729
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,880 per month in Manteca, CA vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Manteca, CA $3,880
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $5,032 per month in Manteca, CA vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Manteca, CA $5,032
San Jose $3,929

Manteca, CA costs about 42% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Manteca, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Manteca, CA by 101%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.58 $14.58

$12.29 ₡5,513

18.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.04 $37.04

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-40.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$11.53 ₡5,171

2.69%

Cappuccino

$5.12 $5.12

$4.35 ₡1,953

17.70%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$2.64 ₡1,183

17.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.86 ₡836

26.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.91 $8.91

$3.32 ₡1,490

168.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.24 $9.24

$4.52 ₡2,026

104.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 $1.40

$2.39 ₡1,073

-41.42%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.08 ₡1,381

41.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.50 ₡1,119

66.00%

Eggs

$5.93 $5.93

$3.48 ₡1,562

70.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.96 $19.96

$10.74 ₡4,815

85.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.35 $14.35

$10.32 ₡4,629

39.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.68 $21.68

$14.10 ₡6,325

53.76%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$5.03 ₡2,256

1.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.59 ₡714

25.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$4.84 ₡2,171

15.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$3.96 ₡1,776

39.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.76 ₡1,684

-4.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$3.73 ₡1,674

-19.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.08 ₡485

123.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.25 ₡1,456

-24.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.83 $11.83

$5.86 ₡2,627

101.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.38 $15.38

$20.28 ₡9,095

-24.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.90 ₡1,300

-13.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.73 ₡1,673

-9.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.08 ₡486

103.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.50 ₡1,123

36.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.63 ₡732

86.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.42 $29.42

$8.71 ₡3,904

237.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.58 ₡709

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

12.10%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-37.38%

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

$270 $270

$93.7 ₡42.0K

188.64%

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

$46.99 $46.99

$35.42 ₡15.9K

32.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.4 $83.4

$60.0 ₡26.9K

39.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 $40.77

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-43.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$16.35 $16.35

$7.74 ₡3,471

111.24%

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

$1,817 $1,817

$1,005 ₡450.9K

80.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.0K $39.0K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

130.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 $59.6

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-18.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 $51.8

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-6.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$128 ₡57.5K

-21.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$130 ₡58.5K

-8.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 $1,579

$932 ₡418.0K

69.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 $1,292

$760 ₡340.8K

69.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,460 $2,460

$1,922 ₡862.0K

28.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,146 $2,146

$1,276 ₡572.1K

68.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,792 $2,792

$2,301 ₡1.0M

21.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,416 $2,416

$1,833 ₡821.9K

31.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,214 $5,214

$1,029 ₡461.3K

406.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

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

Last update for Manteca, CA: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manteca, CA

$1.3K 47.3%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 41.2% $532

Groceries & Markets

Manteca, CA

$488 17.9%

San Jose

$403 21% 17.4% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manteca, CA

$401 14.7%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 52.8% $212

Eating Out

Manteca, CA

$298 10.9%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 23.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Manteca, CA

$149 5.5%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 16.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Manteca, CA

$73 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 19.9% $15

Getting Around

Manteca, CA

$27 * 1%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 194% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,579 in Manteca, CA versus $932 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 407% higher in Manteca, CA, 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 $37.00 in Manteca, CA versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $488 in Manteca, CA vs $403 in San Jose – so San Jose wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Manteca, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

07:54 7:54 AM

1 h ahead of Manteca, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,592

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Manteca, CA San Jose 4,830 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Manteca, CA
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

Manteca, CA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manteca, CA is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,094 per month in Manteca, CA and $2,886 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Manteca, CA and $62.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Manteca, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Manteca, CA at $2,729. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manteca, CA 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manteca, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.