Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between McKinney, TX and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,789 in McKinney, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in McKinney, TX
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McKinney, TX Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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McKinney, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,789

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,789 in McKinney, TX versus $1,938 in San Jose.

McKinney, TX $2,789
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,710 in McKinney, TX versus $2,936 in San Jose.

McKinney, TX $3,710
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,630 in McKinney, TX versus $3,934 in San Jose.

McKinney, TX $4,630
San Jose $3,934

Living in McKinney, TX is roughly 44% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: McKinney, TX 107% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.90 $18.90

$12.38 ₡5,551

52.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-2.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 $10.81

$11.45 ₡5,135

-5.59%

Cappuccino

$5.05 $5.05

$4.39 ₡1,967

15.03%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$2.70 ₡1,211

-5.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.93 ₡864

-7.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 $5.86

$3.20 ₡1,433

83.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.59 $7.59

$4.41 ₡1,979

72.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.44 ₡1,093

-61.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$3.05 ₡1,369

-8.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.41 ₡1,081

-3.73%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$3.40 ₡1,523

20.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 $10.16

$10.75 ₡4,823

-5.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.51 $15.51

$10.43 ₡4,679

48.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.84 $16.84

$13.99 ₡6,273

20.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$5.25 ₡2,353

-41.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.59 ₡712

79.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$4.69 ₡2,103

-36.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.95 ₡1,770

-33.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$3.92 ₡1,760

-44.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$3.68 ₡1,651

-42.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.12 ₡503

53.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.19 ₡1,429

-6.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.05 $11.05

$6.00 ₡2,692

84.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.47 $11.47

$19.56 ₡8,771

-41.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.82 ₡1,263

-37.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.59 ₡1,611

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.12 ₡503

175.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$189 $189

$66.8 ₡30.0K

182.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.50 ₡1,119

17.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.74 $14.74

$8.50 ₡3,812

73.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.56 ₡701

-40.38%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

60.88%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-30.45%

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

$200 $200

$95.2 ₡42.7K

110.51%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$35.58 ₡16.0K

67.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$58.6 ₡26.3K

18.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.36 $30.36

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-58.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.81 $12.81

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-48.45%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 $11.85

$7.58 ₡3,401

56.33%

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

$1,345 $1,345

$1,001 ₡449.0K

34.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 $56.5

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-19.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.95 $28.95

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-48.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 $87.8

$130 ₡58.2K

-32.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 $59.8

$131 ₡58.7K

-54.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 $1,673

$927 ₡415.8K

80.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 $1,420

$774 ₡347.2K

83.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,639 $2,639

$1,967 ₡882.0K

34.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 $1,704

$1,288 ₡577.6K

32.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,323 $2,323

$2,274 ₡1.0M

2.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,294 $2,294

$1,831 ₡821.0K

25.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,805 $5,805

$1,016 ₡455.8K

471.18%

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 McKinney, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

McKinney, TX

$1.4K 50.9%

San Jose

$774 40% 45.5% $645

Groceries & Markets

McKinney, TX

$371 13.3%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 8.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

McKinney, TX

$329 11.8%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 42.5% $140

Eating Out

McKinney, TX

$306 11%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 25.1% $77

Getting Around

McKinney, TX

$204 * 7.3%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 59.9% $122

Clothing & Footwear

McKinney, TX

$105 3.8%

San Jose

$174 9% 66% $69

Sport & Entertainment

McKinney, TX

$54 1.9%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 62.5% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,673 in McKinney, TX and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

McKinney, TX pays 471% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $59.0 in McKinney, TX vs $61.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $401 per month, with McKinney, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 McKinney, TX

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

10:52 10:52 AM

1 h behind McKinney, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,690

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

McKinney, TX San Jose 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

McKinney, TX
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

McKinney, TX vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

McKinney, TX and San Jose differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($2,789 vs $1,938 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 471% higher in McKinney, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,673 in McKinney, TX versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,789 per month in McKinney, TX versus $1,938 in San Jose – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 183% less than in McKinney, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,789 in McKinney, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in McKinney, TX. 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in McKinney, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.