Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marathon, FL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,851 in Marathon, FL, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Marathon, FL
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Marathon, FL Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Marathon, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,851

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,851 in Marathon, FL versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Marathon, FL $2,851
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,049 in Marathon, FL versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Marathon, FL $4,049
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,247 in Marathon, FL versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Marathon, FL $5,247
San Jose $4,054

Living in Marathon, FL is roughly 35% 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: Marathon, FL 111% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.41 $29.41

$12.37 ₡5,563

137.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.0 $96.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

53.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 $11.79

$11.71 ₡5,264

0.68%

Cappuccino

$5.42 $5.42

$4.54 ₡2,040

19.38%

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

$2.55 $2.55

$2.75 ₡1,238

-7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.86 ₡837

-4.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.32 $7.32

$3.35 ₡1,505

118.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.09 $10.09

$4.32 ₡1,944

133.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.36 ₡1,061

-56.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.07 ₡1,379

-3.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.51 ₡1,128

27.09%

Eggs

$4.70 $4.70

$3.53 ₡1,585

33.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 $13.16

$10.54 ₡4,738

24.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.62 $12.62

$10.57 ₡4,754

19.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.43 $19.43

$13.92 ₡6,261

39.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$5.20 ₡2,338

-5.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.65 ₡740

4.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$4.89 ₡2,198

-36.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$3.84 ₡1,728

50.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.91 ₡1,757

-22.51%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$3.76 ₡1,692

13.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.12 ₡504

151.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.22 ₡1,447

-22.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.27 $9.27

$6.02 ₡2,706

53.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.20 $13.20

$19.84 ₡8,919

-33.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.81 ₡1,264

-39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.65 ₡1,643

6.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.08 ₡487

76.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 $60.7

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-7.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.26 ₡1,018

38.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.78 ₡799

-0.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.18 $34.18

$7.90 ₡3,551

332.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.50 ₡673

-30.67%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.89%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.83%

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

$222 $222

$93.2 ₡41.9K

138.41%

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

$69.9 $69.9

$36.13 ₡16.2K

93.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.4 $76.4

$60.6 ₡27.2K

26.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.96 $39.96

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-42.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 $9.90

$7.67 ₡3,449

29.07%

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

$1,461 $1,461

$972 ₡436.9K

50.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K $32.6K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

72.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.7 $67.7

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-4.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.53 $41.53

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-26.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$129 ₡57.8K

-16.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$131 ₡58.8K

-17.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 $1,560

$1,170 ₡525.9K

33.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,376 $1,376

$943 ₡424.1K

45.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 $2,264

$1,984 ₡892.0K

14.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 $1,925

$1,400 ₡629.5K

37.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,882 $2,882

$2,681 ₡1.2M

7.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,262 $2,262

$2,037 ₡915.8K

11.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

8.62

-23.90%

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

Last update for Marathon, FL: November 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marathon, FL

$1.4K 48.3%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 31.4% $433

Groceries & Markets

Marathon, FL

$410 14.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 1.9% $7.6

Eating Out

Marathon, FL

$410 14.4%

San Jose

$232 11% 43.3% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marathon, FL

$369 12.9%

San Jose

$190 9% 48.5% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Marathon, FL

$146 5.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 19.1% $28

Getting Around

Marathon, FL

$80 2.8%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 0.5% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Marathon, FL

$60 2.1%

San Jose

$84 4% 41% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,560 in Marathon, FL and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $96 in Marathon, FL vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Marathon, FL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

1 h behind Marathon, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,500

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

Marathon, FL San Jose 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Marathon, FL
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

Marathon, FL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,851 in Marathon, FL and $2,107 in San Jose, so San Jose is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,276 in Marathon, FL and $3,161 in San Jose to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,560 in Marathon, FL 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 Marathon, FL runs roughly 7% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,851 per month in Marathon, FL versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,851 in Marathon, FL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Marathon, FL. 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.