Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Martha's Vineyard, MA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,503 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Martha's Vineyard, MA
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Martha's Vineyard, MA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Martha's Vineyard, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,503

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,503 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Martha's Vineyard, MA $2,503
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,756 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Martha's Vineyard, MA $3,756
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,009 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Martha's Vineyard, MA $5,009
San Jose $4,054

Living in Martha’s Vineyard, MA is roughly 19% 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: Martha’s Vineyard, MA 85% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.13 $20.13

$12.37 ₡5,563

62.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 $74.6

$62.4 ₡28.0K

19.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.95 $12.95

$11.71 ₡5,264

10.59%

Cappuccino

$5.25 $5.25

$4.54 ₡2,040

15.64%

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

$2.55 $2.55

$2.75 ₡1,238

-7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.86 ₡837

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 $6.18

$3.35 ₡1,505

84.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.60 $8.60

$4.32 ₡1,944

99.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.36 ₡1,061

-57.20%

White Bread (500g)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.07 ₡1,379

46.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.51 ₡1,128

71.71%

Eggs

$6.22 $6.22

$3.53 ₡1,585

76.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.72 $10.72

$10.54 ₡4,738

1.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.53 $10.53

$10.57 ₡4,754

-0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$13.92 ₡6,261

37.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$5.20 ₡2,338

5.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.65 ₡740

-3.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$4.89 ₡2,198

-31.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.84 ₡1,728

-20.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.91 ₡1,757

-43.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.76 ₡1,692

-33.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.12 ₡504

133.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.22 ₡1,447

-10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.89 $11.89

$6.02 ₡2,706

97.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.73 $16.73

$19.84 ₡8,919

-15.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.81 ₡1,264

-35.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.65 ₡1,643

-21.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.08 ₡487

112.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.9 $64.9

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-0.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.26 ₡1,018

68.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.78 ₡799

23.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.16 $48.16

$7.90 ₡3,551

509.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.50 ₡673

-31.33%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-17.22%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.20%

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

$200 $200

$93.2 ₡41.9K

114.78%

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

$36.74 $36.74

$36.13 ₡16.2K

1.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.7 $60.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

0.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.04 $36.04

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-47.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$12.59 $12.59

$7.67 ₡3,449

64.15%

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

$2,161 $2,161

$972 ₡436.9K

122.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.0K $35.0K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

85.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.15 $39.15

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-44.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.10 $16.10

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-71.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$129 ₡57.8K

-21.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$131 ₡58.8K

-19.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 $1,569

$1,170 ₡525.9K

34.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 $1,199

$943 ₡424.1K

27.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 $2,570

$1,984 ₡892.0K

29.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,134 $2,134

$1,400 ₡629.5K

52.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,662 $2,662

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-0.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,282 $2,282

$2,037 ₡915.8K

12.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Martha's Vineyard, MA: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Martha's Vineyard, MA

$1.2K 47.9%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 21.3% $255

Groceries & Markets

Martha's Vineyard, MA

$410 16.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 1.8% $7.4

Eating Out

Martha's Vineyard, MA

$329 13.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 29.4% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Martha's Vineyard, MA

$298 11.9%

San Jose

$190 9% 36.2% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Martha's Vineyard, MA

$118 4.7%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 47.9% $56

Getting Around

Martha's Vineyard, MA

$89 3.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 9.1% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Martha's Vineyard, MA

$61 2.5%

San Jose

$84 4% 37.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,569 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA 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

🇺🇸 Martha's Vineyard, MA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

17:01 5:01 PM

1 h behind Martha's Vineyard, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,510

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

Martha's Vineyard, MA San Jose 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Martha's Vineyard, 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

Martha's Vineyard, MA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Martha’s Vineyard, MA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,754 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA 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: $1,569 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,503 per month in Martha’s Vineyard, MA versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $75 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,503 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Martha’s Vineyard, MA. 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.