Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medina, OH and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,434 in Medina, OH, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medina, OH outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Medina, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,434

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,434 per month in Medina, OH vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Medina, OH $2,434
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,006 per month in Medina, OH vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Medina, OH $4,006
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,578 per month in Medina, OH vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Medina, OH $5,578
San Jose $4,054

Medina, OH costs about 16% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medina, OH and San Jose sit above the global median – Medina, OH by 80%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 $17.81

$12.37 ₡5,546

43.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.4 $61.4

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-1.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.83 $9.83

$11.71 ₡5,248

-16.05%

Cappuccino

$4.93 $4.93

$4.54 ₡2,034

8.59%

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

$2.02 $2.02

$2.75 ₡1,234

-26.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.86 ₡835

-46.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.35 ₡1,501

45.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.92 $6.92

$4.32 ₡1,938

60.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.36 ₡1,057

-60.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.07 ₡1,375

16.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.51 ₡1,124

76.49%

Eggs

$4.06 $4.06

$3.53 ₡1,580

15.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.69 $8.69

$10.54 ₡4,724

-17.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.11 $12.11

$10.57 ₡4,740

14.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.62 $17.62

$13.92 ₡6,242

26.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$5.20 ₡2,331

-2.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.65 ₡738

-8.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$4.89 ₡2,191

-15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$3.84 ₡1,722

45.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 $1.35

$3.91 ₡1,752

-65.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$3.76 ₡1,687

-31.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.12 ₡503

106.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.22 ₡1,443

-36.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.96 $8.96

$6.02 ₡2,698

48.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.13 $13.13

$19.84 ₡8,892

-33.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.81 ₡1,261

-50.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$3.65 ₡1,638

-59.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡485

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.26 ₡1,015

74.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.78 ₡797

-15.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.89 $32.89

$7.90 ₡3,540

316.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.50 ₡671

-30.00%

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

$33.9K $33.9K

$33.5K ₡15.0M

1.41%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.05%

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

$258 $258

$93.2 ₡41.8K

176.35%

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

$52.9 $52.9

$36.13 ₡16.2K

46.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$60.6 ₡27.2K

14.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.10 $37.10

$68.9 ₡30.9K

-46.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$7.67 ₡3,439

55.41%

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

$1,796 $1,796

$972 ₡435.6K

84.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.1K $34.1K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

80.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.76 $46.76

$70.6 ₡31.7K

-33.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.30 $47.30

$56.7 ₡25.4K

-16.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 $74.3

$129 ₡57.7K

-42.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 $75.0

$131 ₡58.7K

-42.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,027 $1,027

$1,170 ₡524.3K

-12.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,214 $1,214

$943 ₡422.8K

28.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,709 $2,709

$1,984 ₡889.3K

36.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,007 $3,007

$1,400 ₡627.6K

114.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡913.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡442.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

8.62

-27.49%

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

Last update for Medina, 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

Medina, OH

$1.2K 49.9%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 22.3% $271

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medina, OH

$380 15.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 50% $190

Groceries & Markets

Medina, OH

$377 15.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 6.8% $26

Eating Out

Medina, OH

$281 11.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 17.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Medina, OH

$109 4.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 59% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Medina, OH

$61 2.5%

San Jose

$84 4% 38.3% $23

Getting Around

Medina, OH

$11 * 0.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 602% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,027 in Medina, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Medina, OH versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $377 vs $403 – making Medina, OH the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Medina, OH

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

02:04 2:04 AM

1 h behind Medina, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,000

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 500 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medina, OH San Jose 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medina, 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

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

Medina, OH costs about 16% 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 $3,652 per month in Medina, 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 Medina, OH, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,027 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,434 in Medina, OH and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 13% cheaper.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Medina, OH – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,434 in Medina, OH. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.