Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medford, MA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,043 in Medford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Medford, MA
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Medford, MA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Medford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,043

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,043 per month in Medford, MA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Medford, MA $3,043
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,134 per month in Medford, MA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Medford, MA $4,134
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,225 per month in Medford, MA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Medford, MA $5,225
San Jose $4,054

Medford, MA costs about 44% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medford, MA and San Jose sit above the global median – Medford, MA by 125%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 $17.41

$12.37 ₡5,563

40.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.9 $92.9

$62.4 ₡28.0K

48.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$11.71 ₡5,264

3.76%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$4.54 ₡2,040

17.84%

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

$2.87 $2.87

$2.75 ₡1,238

4.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.86 ₡837

35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 $8.04

$3.35 ₡1,505

140.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.78 $7.78

$4.32 ₡1,944

80.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.36 ₡1,061

-54.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 $3.81

$3.07 ₡1,379

24.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$2.51 ₡1,128

119.52%

Eggs

$4.66 $4.66

$3.53 ₡1,585

32.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 $11.13

$10.54 ₡4,738

5.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.98 $13.98

$10.57 ₡4,754

32.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.86 $17.86

$13.92 ₡6,261

28.30%

Apples (1kg)

$6.84 $6.84

$5.20 ₡2,338

31.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.65 ₡740

9.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$4.89 ₡2,198

12.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$3.84 ₡1,728

47.40%

Potato (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$3.91 ₡1,757

13.04%

Onion (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$3.76 ₡1,692

7.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.12 ₡504

102.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$3.22 ₡1,447

-68.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.36 $13.36

$6.02 ₡2,706

121.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 $13.78

$19.84 ₡8,919

-30.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.81 ₡1,264

-23.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.65 ₡1,643

8.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.08 ₡487

128.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.0 $59.0

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-9.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.26 ₡1,018

15.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.78 ₡799

-2.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.77 $27.77

$7.90 ₡3,551

251.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.50 ₡673

-28.00%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-19.12%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.97%

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

$236 $236

$93.2 ₡41.9K

153.29%

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

$55.8 $55.8

$36.13 ₡16.2K

54.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.7 $81.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

34.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.97 $42.97

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-37.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.12 $14.12

$7.67 ₡3,449

84.09%

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

$1,849 $1,849

$972 ₡436.9K

90.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.9K $44.9K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

137.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 $56.0

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-20.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 $37.57

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-33.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.8 $80.8

$129 ₡57.8K

-37.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$131 ₡58.8K

-22.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 $1,554

$1,170 ₡525.9K

32.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,647 $1,647

$943 ₡424.1K

74.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,594 $2,594

$1,984 ₡892.0K

30.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 $2,116

$1,400 ₡629.5K

51.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,788 $2,788

$2,681 ₡1.2M

3.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,298 $2,298

$2,037 ₡915.8K

12.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Medford, MA: 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

Medford, MA

$1.6K 54.1%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 42.7% $704

Groceries & Markets

Medford, MA

$431 14.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 6.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medford, MA

$373 12.3%

San Jose

$190 9% 49.1% $184

Eating Out

Medford, MA

$317 10.4%

San Jose

$232 11% 26.8% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Medford, MA

$124 4.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 40.6% $50

Getting Around

Medford, MA

$80 2.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 0.8% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Medford, MA

$71 2.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 18.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,554 in Medford, MA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $93 in Medford, MA versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $431 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Medford, MA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:00 5:00 PM

16:00 4:00 PM

1 h behind Medford, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,173

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

Medford, MA San Jose 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medford, 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

Medford, MA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medford, MA is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,565 per month in Medford, MA 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 $1,554 in Medford, MA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,043 in Medford, MA and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 31% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Medford, MA. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Medford, MA at $3,043. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medford, MA 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.