Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merrill, WI and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,669 in Merrill, WI, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Merrill, WI
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Merrill, WI Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Merrill, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,669

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,669 per month in Merrill, WI vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Merrill, WI $2,669
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,917 per month in Merrill, WI vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Merrill, WI $3,917
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $5,164 per month in Merrill, WI vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Merrill, WI $5,164
San Jose $3,929

Merrill, WI costs about 39% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Merrill, WI and San Jose sit above the global median – Merrill, WI by 97%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 $19.92

$12.29 ₡5,513

62.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.8 $73.8

$62.3 ₡27.9K

18.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 $11.41

$11.53 ₡5,171

-1.04%

Cappuccino

$5.22 $5.22

$4.35 ₡1,953

20.00%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$2.64 ₡1,183

3.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.86 ₡836

6.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 $5.83

$3.32 ₡1,490

75.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$4.52 ₡2,026

58.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$2.39 ₡1,073

-55.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.08 ₡1,381

16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.50 ₡1,119

72.00%

Eggs

$4.05 $4.05

$3.48 ₡1,562

16.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$10.74 ₡4,815

16.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.25 $11.25

$10.32 ₡4,629

9.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.16 $17.16

$14.10 ₡6,325

21.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$5.03 ₡2,256

-1.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.59 ₡714

-1.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$4.84 ₡2,171

-13.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.96 ₡1,776

20.71%

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)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.08 ₡485

95.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.25 ₡1,456

-32.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.24 $10.24

$5.86 ₡2,627

74.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 $15.17

$20.28 ₡9,095

-25.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.90 ₡1,300

-32.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.73 ₡1,673

-8.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.08 ₡486

89.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$65.5 ₡29.4K

67.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.50 ₡1,123

26.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.63 ₡732

7.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.41 $30.41

$8.71 ₡3,904

249.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.58 ₡709

-38.61%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-17.34%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-37.30%

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

$197 $197

$93.7 ₡42.0K

110.24%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$35.42 ₡15.9K

63.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$60.0 ₡26.9K

16.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.50 $41.50

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-42.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.82 $8.82

$25.83 ₡11.6K

-65.85%

Cinema Ticket

$13.89 $13.89

$7.74 ₡3,471

79.46%

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

$1,421 $1,421

$1,005 ₡450.9K

41.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

40.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 $53.1

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-27.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.32 $41.32

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-25.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 $90.2

$128 ₡57.5K

-29.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$130 ₡58.5K

-10.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,625 $1,625

$932 ₡418.0K

74.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 $1,295

$760 ₡340.8K

70.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,535 $2,535

$1,922 ₡862.0K

31.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,148 $2,148

$1,276 ₡572.1K

68.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,743 $2,743

$2,301 ₡1.0M

19.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,374 $2,374

$1,833 ₡821.9K

29.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,146 $7,146

$1,029 ₡461.3K

594.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Merrill, WI: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merrill, WI

$1.3K 48.5%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 41.3% $535

Groceries & Markets

Merrill, WI

$396 14.8%

San Jose

$403 21% 1.8% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merrill, WI

$325 12.2%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 41.8% $136

Eating Out

Merrill, WI

$319 11.9%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 28.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Merrill, WI

$135 5.1%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 28.6% $39

Getting Around

Merrill, WI

$130 4.9%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 38.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Merrill, WI

$69 2.6%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 27.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,625 in Merrill, WI 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 595% higher in Merrill, WI, 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 $74.0 in Merrill, WI versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $396 in Merrill, WI vs $403 in San Jose – so Merrill, WI wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merrill, WI

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

16:10 4:10 PM

1 h behind Merrill, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,000

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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Between locations

Merrill, WI San Jose 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Merrill, WI
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

Merrill, WI vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Merrill, WI is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,004 per month in Merrill, WI 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 $74.0 in Merrill, WI and $62.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,669 in Merrill, WI and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 39%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Merrill, WI at $2,669. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Merrill, WI 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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