Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mason, OH and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,743 in Mason, OH, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Mason, OH
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Mason, OH Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Mason, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,743

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,743 per month in Mason, OH vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Mason, OH $2,743
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $2,717 per month in Mason, OH vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Mason, OH $2,717
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $2,691 per month in Mason, OH vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Mason, OH $2,691
San Jose $4,054

Mason, OH costs about 30% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Mason, OH and San Jose sit above the global median – Mason, OH by 103%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.75 $12.75

$12.37 ₡5,563

3.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 $56.2

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-9.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.98 $5.98

$11.71 ₡5,264

-48.93%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$4.54 ₡2,040

14.32%

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

$2.49 $2.49

$2.75 ₡1,238

-9.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.86 ₡837

9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.35 ₡1,505

50.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 $5.85

$4.32 ₡1,944

35.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$2.36 ₡1,061

-68.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.07 ₡1,379

-6.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.51 ₡1,128

54.58%

Eggs

$3.70 $3.70

$3.53 ₡1,585

4.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.43 $10.43

$10.54 ₡4,738

-1.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 $10.15

$10.57 ₡4,754

-3.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.48 $14.48

$13.92 ₡6,261

4.02%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 $5.61

$5.20 ₡2,338

7.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.65 ₡740

-7.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$4.89 ₡2,198

17.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.84 ₡1,728

13.80%

Potato (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.91 ₡1,757

4.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$3.76 ₡1,692

-14.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.12 ₡504

83.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.22 ₡1,447

-5.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.27 $9.27

$6.02 ₡2,706

53.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.17 $13.17

$19.84 ₡8,919

-33.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.81 ₡1,264

-4.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 $4.32

$3.65 ₡1,643

18.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.26 ₡1,018

126.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.50 ₡673

-38.00%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-18.58%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.39%

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

$189 $189

$93.2 ₡41.9K

102.96%

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

$89.9 $89.9

$36.13 ₡16.2K

148.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 $70.4

$60.6 ₡27.2K

16.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.2 $99.2

$68.9 ₡31.0K

43.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 $14.85

$7.67 ₡3,449

93.61%

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

$2,230 $2,230

$972 ₡436.9K

129.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

26.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-27.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.90 $30.90

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-45.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$129 ₡57.8K

-9.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 $154

$131 ₡58.8K

17.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,605 $1,605

$1,170 ₡525.9K

37.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,478 $1,478

$943 ₡424.1K

56.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 $1,794

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-9.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

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)

$8,295 $8,295

$987 ₡443.6K

740.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.62

-20.88%

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

Last update for Mason, OH: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mason, OH

$1.5K 53.9%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 36.2% $535

Groceries & Markets

Mason, OH

$385 14.1%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 4.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mason, OH

$349 12.7%

San Jose

$190 9% 45.6% $160

Eating Out

Mason, OH

$237 8.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 2% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Mason, OH

$158 5.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 9.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mason, OH

$129 4.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 34.6% $45

Getting Around

Mason, OH

$5.1 * 0.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 1476% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,605 in Mason, OH 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 Mason, OH are about 8.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Mason, OH versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $403 – making Mason, OH the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Mason, OH

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

06:50 6:50 AM

1 h behind Mason, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mason, OH San Jose 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mason, OH
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

Mason, OH vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,743 in Mason, OH, $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,114 per month in Mason, OH 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 $1,605 in Mason, OH.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,743 in Mason, OH and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 23% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,230 per month in Mason, OH 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 Mason, OH at $2,743. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mason, OH 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, Mason, OH makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.