Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between McHenry, IL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,886 in McHenry, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in McHenry, IL
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McHenry, IL Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

McHenry, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,886

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,886 per month in McHenry, IL vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

McHenry, IL $2,886
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $4,170 per month in McHenry, IL vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

McHenry, IL $4,170
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $5,455 per month in McHenry, IL vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

McHenry, IL $5,455
San Jose $3,929

McHenry, IL costs about 50% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both McHenry, IL and San Jose sit above the global median – McHenry, IL by 113%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.39 $20.39

$12.29 ₡5,513

65.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 $65.8

$62.3 ₡27.9K

5.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 $13.12

$11.53 ₡5,171

13.79%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$4.35 ₡1,953

30.11%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$2.64 ₡1,183

17.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.86 ₡836

36.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 $7.13

$3.32 ₡1,490

114.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$4.52 ₡2,026

77.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$2.39 ₡1,073

-61.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 $3.42

$3.08 ₡1,381

11.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.50 ₡1,119

66.40%

Eggs

$3.79 $3.79

$3.48 ₡1,562

8.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.74 $14.74

$10.74 ₡4,815

37.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$10.32 ₡4,629

26.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.85 $19.85

$14.10 ₡6,325

40.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$5.03 ₡2,256

-7.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.59 ₡714

1.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$4.84 ₡2,171

9.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.96 ₡1,776

22.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.76 ₡1,684

-24.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.73 ₡1,674

-18.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.08 ₡485

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$3.25 ₡1,456

-26.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.80 $10.80

$5.86 ₡2,627

84.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.46 $15.46

$20.28 ₡9,095

-23.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.90 ₡1,300

-7.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 $4.56

$3.73 ₡1,673

22.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.08 ₡486

112.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.50 ₡1,123

59.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.63 ₡732

20.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.97 $43.97

$8.71 ₡3,904

404.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.58 ₡709

-33.54%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-9.70%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-38.06%

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

$273 $273

$93.7 ₡42.0K

191.79%

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

$51.8 $51.8

$35.42 ₡15.9K

46.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.6 $82.6

$60.0 ₡26.9K

37.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.87 $44.87

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-38.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$14.87 $14.87

$7.74 ₡3,471

92.12%

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

$1,749 $1,749

$1,005 ₡450.9K

73.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

40.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.8 $64.8

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-11.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-7.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$128 ₡57.5K

-16.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$130 ₡58.5K

-6.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 $1,620

$932 ₡418.0K

73.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 $1,452

$760 ₡340.8K

91.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,885 $2,885

$1,922 ₡862.0K

50.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,451 $2,451

$1,276 ₡572.1K

92.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,120 $3,120

$2,301 ₡1.0M

35.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,499 $2,499

$1,833 ₡821.9K

36.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,382 $7,382

$1,029 ₡461.3K

617.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

8.62

-22.39%

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

Last update for McHenry, IL: 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

McHenry, IL

$1.5K 50.3%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 47.7% $692

Groceries & Markets

McHenry, IL

$428 14.8%

San Jose

$403 21% 5.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

McHenry, IL

$408 14.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 53.6% $219

Eating Out

McHenry, IL

$345 11.9%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 33.6% $116

Clothing & Footwear

McHenry, IL

$155 5.4%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 12.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

McHenry, IL

$75 2.6%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 18% $13

Getting Around

McHenry, IL

$23 * 0.8%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 250% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,620 in McHenry, IL 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 618% higher in McHenry, IL, 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 $66.0 in McHenry, IL versus $62.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $428 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 McHenry, IL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:21 5:21 PM

16:21 4:21 PM

1 h behind McHenry, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,135

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

McHenry, IL San Jose 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

McHenry, IL
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

McHenry, IL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

McHenry, IL costs about 50% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,328 per month in McHenry, IL 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 $66.0 in McHenry, IL 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 6% more in McHenry, IL, 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 McHenry, IL at $2,886. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in McHenry, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $1,924 versus $2,886 in McHenry, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, McHenry, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.