Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merrillville, IN and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Merrillville, IN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Merrillville, IN
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Merrillville, IN Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Merrillville, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,597

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,597 in Merrillville, IN versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Merrillville, IN $2,597
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,672 in Merrillville, IN versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Merrillville, IN $3,672
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,748 in Merrillville, IN versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Merrillville, IN $4,748
San Jose $3,929

Living in Merrillville, IN is roughly 35% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Merrillville, IN 92% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.93 $14.93

$12.29 ₡5,513

21.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 $55.9

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-10.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$11.53 ₡5,171

-14.31%

Cappuccino

$4.63 $4.63

$4.35 ₡1,953

6.44%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$2.64 ₡1,183

-17.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.86 ₡836

20.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.32 ₡1,490

36.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 $5.90

$4.52 ₡2,026

30.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$2.39 ₡1,073

-69.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.08 ₡1,381

3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.50 ₡1,119

81.60%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$3.48 ₡1,562

33.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 $11.10

$10.74 ₡4,815

3.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 $9.61

$10.32 ₡4,629

-6.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.94 $21.94

$14.10 ₡6,325

55.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$5.03 ₡2,256

14.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.59 ₡714

-29.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$4.84 ₡2,171

-9.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$3.96 ₡1,776

38.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.76 ₡1,684

-2.13%

Onion (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$3.73 ₡1,674

17.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.08 ₡485

126.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 $1.27

$3.25 ₡1,456

-60.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.36 $11.36

$5.86 ₡2,627

93.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 $12.22

$20.28 ₡9,095

-39.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.90 ₡1,300

-28.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.73 ₡1,673

-8.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.08 ₡486

87.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.50 ₡1,123

98.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.63 ₡732

14.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.3 $50.3

$8.71 ₡3,904

476.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.58 ₡709

-41.14%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-17.06%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-35.14%

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

$233 $233

$93.7 ₡42.0K

148.28%

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

$50.9 $50.9

$35.42 ₡15.9K

43.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 $59.0

$60.0 ₡26.9K

-1.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.50 $47.50

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-34.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$7.74 ₡3,471

93.54%

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

$1,397 $1,397

$1,005 ₡450.9K

38.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

20.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 $53.3

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-27.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.39 $40.39

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-27.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$128 ₡57.5K

-17.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 $95.7

$130 ₡58.5K

-26.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 $1,510

$932 ₡418.0K

62.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 $1,374

$760 ₡340.8K

80.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,410 $2,410

$1,922 ₡862.0K

25.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,148 $2,148

$1,276 ₡572.1K

68.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,523 $2,523

$2,301 ₡1.0M

9.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 $2,195

$1,833 ₡821.9K

19.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

8.62

-24.25%

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

Last update for Merrillville, IN: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merrillville, IN

$1.4K 52.9%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 44.7% $614

Groceries & Markets

Merrillville, IN

$390 15%

San Jose

$403 21% 3.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merrillville, IN

$342 13.2%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 44.8% $153

Eating Out

Merrillville, IN

$257 9.9%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 10.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Merrillville, IN

$133 5.1%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 30.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Merrillville, IN

$77 3%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 13.7% $11

Getting Around

Merrillville, IN

$22 * 0.9%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 259% $58

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 $1,510 in Merrillville, IN and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Merrillville, IN vs $62.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $403 per month, with Merrillville, IN cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:35 4:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

1 h behind Merrillville, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,444

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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Highest

Between locations

Merrillville, IN San Jose 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Merrillville, IN
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

Merrillville, IN vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merrillville, IN and San Jose differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($2,597 vs $1,924 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,895 in Merrillville, IN and $2,886 in San Jose to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,510 in Merrillville, IN versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Merrillville, IN pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,597 per month in Merrillville, IN versus $1,924 in San Jose – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Merrillville, IN. 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 35% less than in Merrillville, IN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.