Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medford, OR and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,105 a month against $2,476 in Medford, OR, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Medford, OR
Learn more

Medford, OR Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Medford, OR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,476

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,476 in Medford, OR versus $2,105 in San Jose.

Medford, OR $2,476
San Jose $2,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,565 in Medford, OR versus $3,074 in San Jose.

Medford, OR $3,565
San Jose $3,074

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,653 in Medford, OR versus $4,043 in San Jose.

Medford, OR $4,653
San Jose $4,043

Living in Medford, OR is roughly 18% 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: Medford, OR 82% above, San Jose 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.96 $19.96

$12.43 ₡5,609

60.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 $62.8

$60.9 ₡27.5K

3.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.41 $10.41

$11.72 ₡5,288

-11.18%

Cappuccino

$4.73 $4.73

$4.47 ₡2,019

5.82%

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

$2.44 $2.44

$2.75 ₡1,241

-11.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.92 ₡867

-21.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.26 ₡1,470

81.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.29 $6.29

$4.45 ₡2,009

41.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$2.36 ₡1,063

-50.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 $3.18

$3.09 ₡1,393

2.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.27 $8.27

$2.40 ₡1,083

244.58%

Eggs

$4.19 $4.19

$3.44 ₡1,553

21.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.31 $21.31

$10.73 ₡4,841

98.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$10.36 ₡4,674

-1.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 $15.30

$13.84 ₡6,243

10.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$5.15 ₡2,323

-19.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.65 ₡746

-4.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$4.67 ₡2,109

13.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.98 ₡1,798

28.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.90 ₡1,761

-26.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$3.65 ₡1,647

-20.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.08 ₡487

145.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$3.10 ₡1,398

2.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.08 $11.08

$6.08 ₡2,745

82.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 $13.38

$20.05 ₡9,047

-33.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.77 ₡1,252

-36.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.69 ₡1,666

-7.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.12 ₡503

76.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.17 $47.17

$66.7 ₡30.1K

-29.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.49 ₡1,122

14.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.63 ₡735

49.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.52 $44.52

$8.47 ₡3,821

425.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.57 ₡708

-22.29%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-17.91%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-43.88%

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

$203 $203

$93.2 ₡42.0K

117.39%

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

$70.2 $70.2

$36.05 ₡16.3K

94.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.6 $77.6

$59.1 ₡26.7K

31.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.33 $17.33

$69.0 ₡31.1K

-74.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 $11.60

$7.85 ₡3,543

47.77%

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

$1,022 $1,022

$996 ₡449.4K

2.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,159 $8,159

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-52.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 $57.9

$70.1 ₡31.6K

-17.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 $38.84

$55.2 ₡24.9K

-29.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$130 ₡58.5K

-17.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$131 ₡59.2K

-14.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 $1,258

$1,164 ₡525.2K

8.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 $1,131

$945 ₡426.4K

19.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 $1,944

$1,993 ₡899.4K

-2.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,768 $1,768

$1,404 ₡633.4K

25.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,305 $3,305

$2,727 ₡1.2M

21.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,784 $2,784

$2,040 ₡920.7K

36.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,592 $3,592

$1,011 ₡456.1K

255.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

8.62

-24.13%

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

Last update for Medford, OR: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medford, OR

$1.1K 45.7%

San Jose

$945 44.9% 16.5% $186

Groceries & Markets

Medford, OR

$436 17.6%

San Jose

$399 19% 8.5% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medford, OR

$350 14.2%

San Jose

$188 9% 46.2% $162

Eating Out

Medford, OR

$306 12.3%

San Jose

$232 11% 24% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Medford, OR

$143 5.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 21.9% $31

Getting Around

Medford, OR

$70 2.8%

San Jose

$82 3.9% 16.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Medford, OR

$41 1.6%

San Jose

$85 4% 109% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,258 in Medford, OR and $1,164 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medford, OR pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $63 in Medford, OR vs $61 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $436 vs $399 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Medford, OR

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

20:12 8:12 PM

1 h ahead of Medford, OR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,173

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medford, OR San Jose 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Medford, OR. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Medford, OR is about 3.6 times higher, 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: $1,258 in Medford, OR versus $1,164 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Medford, OR. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $61 versus $63 in Medford, OR. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Medford, OR on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.