Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Midland, MI and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Midland, MI: $1,901 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Midland, MI
Learn more

Midland, MI Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Midland, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,901

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,901 per month in Midland, MI vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Midland, MI $1,901
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $2,732 per month in Midland, MI vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Midland, MI $2,732
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $3,563 per month in Midland, MI vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Midland, MI $3,563
San Jose $4,054

Midland, MI is about 10% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Midland, MI and San Jose sit above the global median – Midland, MI by 41%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.76 $19.76

$12.37 ₡5,563

59.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 $50.7

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-18.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 $10.14

$11.71 ₡5,264

-13.41%

Cappuccino

$5.06 $5.06

$4.54 ₡2,040

11.45%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$2.75 ₡1,238

-22.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.86 ₡837

-18.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 $3.78

$3.35 ₡1,505

12.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 $5.12

$4.32 ₡1,944

18.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$2.36 ₡1,061

-61.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.07 ₡1,379

10.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.51 ₡1,128

-11.16%

Eggs

$3.27 $3.27

$3.53 ₡1,585

-7.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.08 $11.08

$10.54 ₡4,738

5.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.27 $7.27

$10.57 ₡4,754

-31.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 $10.83

$13.92 ₡6,261

-22.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$5.20 ₡2,338

-35.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.65 ₡740

-21.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$4.89 ₡2,198

-7.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.84 ₡1,728

-4.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.91 ₡1,757

-32.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.76 ₡1,692

-46.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.12 ₡504

83.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$3.22 ₡1,447

-68.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.23 $10.23

$6.02 ₡2,706

69.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.56 $13.56

$19.84 ₡8,919

-31.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.81 ₡1,264

-30.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$3.65 ₡1,643

-15.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.08 ₡487

80.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 $118

$65.2 ₡29.3K

80.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.26 ₡1,018

8.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.78 ₡799

37.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.97 $39.97

$7.90 ₡3,551

405.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.50 ₡673

-38.67%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-7.87%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.10%

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

$181 $181

$93.2 ₡41.9K

94.06%

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

$39.71 $39.71

$36.13 ₡16.2K

9.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 $64.9

$60.6 ₡27.2K

7.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.17 $42.17

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-38.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.40 $31.40

$24.94 ₡11.2K

25.90%

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 $12.15

$7.67 ₡3,449

58.41%

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

$1,713 $1,713

$972 ₡436.9K

76.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K $20.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

7.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.21 $46.21

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-34.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.74 $40.74

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-28.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 $72.4

$129 ₡57.8K

-43.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 $79.1

$131 ₡58.8K

-39.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$705 $705

$943 ₡424.1K

-25.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 $1,765

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-11.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 $1,005

$1,400 ₡629.5K

-28.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,793 $1,793

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-33.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,844 $1,844

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-9.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,583 $6,583

$987 ₡443.6K

567.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Midland, MI: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Midland, MI

$705 37.1%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 33.8% $238

Groceries & Markets

Midland, MI

$304 16%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 32.6% $99

Eating Out

Midland, MI

$293 15.4%

San Jose

$232 11% 20.7% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Midland, MI

$285 15%

San Jose

$190 9% 33.5% $96

Getting Around

Midland, MI

$140 7.4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 42.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Midland, MI

$107 5.7%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 62.2% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Midland, MI

$66 3.5%

San Jose

$84 4% 26.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Midland, MI are about 6.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in Midland, MI versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $403 – making Midland, MI the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Midland, MI

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

10:36 10:36 AM

1 h behind Midland, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

132,524

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Midland, MI San Jose 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Midland, MI
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

Midland, MI vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,901 in Midland, MI, $2,107 in San Jose – Midland, MI comes out roughly 10% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,851 per month in Midland, MI and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,901 in Midland, MI and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes Midland, MI about 10% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 45% less in San Jose. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,901 in Midland, MI and $2,107 in San Jose, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,901 in Midland, MI to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.