Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monrovia, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,704 in Monrovia, CA, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Monrovia, CA
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Monrovia, CA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Monrovia, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,704 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Monrovia, CA $2,704
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $4,049 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Monrovia, CA $4,049
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $5,394 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Monrovia, CA $5,394
San Jose $3,929

Monrovia, CA costs about 41% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Monrovia, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Monrovia, CA by 100%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.92 $24.92

$12.29 ₡5,513

102.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$62.3 ₡27.9K

62.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.66 $11.66

$11.53 ₡5,171

1.13%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$4.35 ₡1,953

28.97%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$2.64 ₡1,183

1.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.86 ₡836

5.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 $8.23

$3.32 ₡1,490

147.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.63 $9.63

$4.52 ₡2,026

113.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.39 ₡1,073

-50.63%

White Bread (500g)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.08 ₡1,381

89.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.50 ₡1,119

69.20%

Eggs

$4.94 $4.94

$3.48 ₡1,562

41.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 $12.40

$10.74 ₡4,815

15.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.92 $20.92

$10.32 ₡4,629

102.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$14.10 ₡6,325

-0.28%

Apples (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$5.03 ₡2,256

11.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.59 ₡714

6.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$4.84 ₡2,171

-11.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.35 $6.35

$3.96 ₡1,776

60.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$3.76 ₡1,684

-3.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$3.73 ₡1,674

-6.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.08 ₡485

122.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$3.25 ₡1,456

-30.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.63 $11.63

$5.86 ₡2,627

98.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$20.28 ₡9,095

-27.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.90 ₡1,300

-39.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$3.73 ₡1,673

-16.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.08 ₡486

80.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.50 ₡1,123

84.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.63 ₡732

11.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.58 $35.58

$8.71 ₡3,904

308.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.58 ₡709

1.27%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-17.50%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-36.25%

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

$218 $218

$93.7 ₡42.0K

132.89%

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

$72.4 $72.4

$35.42 ₡15.9K

104.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$60.0 ₡26.9K

18.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.11 $39.11

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-46.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 $11.79

$7.74 ₡3,471

52.33%

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

$1,948 $1,948

$1,005 ₡450.9K

93.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.6K $42.6K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

151.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 $73.1

$73.1 ₡32.8K

0.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.92 $40.92

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-26.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 $80.5

$128 ₡57.5K

-37.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 $171

$130 ₡58.5K

31.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 $1,577

$932 ₡418.0K

69.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 $1,235

$760 ₡340.8K

62.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$1,922 ₡862.0K

29.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 $2,041

$1,276 ₡572.1K

60.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,557 $2,557

$2,301 ₡1.0M

11.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,351 $2,351

$1,833 ₡821.9K

28.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Monrovia, CA: 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

Monrovia, CA

$1.2K 45.7%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 38.5% $475

Groceries & Markets

Monrovia, CA

$477 17.7%

San Jose

$403 21% 15.5% $74

Eating Out

Monrovia, CA

$381 14.1%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 39.9% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monrovia, CA

$362 13.4%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 47.8% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Monrovia, CA

$165 6.1%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 5.8% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Monrovia, CA

$63 2.3%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 40.5% $25

Getting Around

Monrovia, CA

$21 * 0.8%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 275% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,577 in Monrovia, CA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Monrovia, CA versus $62.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monrovia, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

14:51 2:51 PM

15:51 3:51 PM

1 h ahead of Monrovia, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,590

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

Monrovia, CA San Jose 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Monrovia, CA
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

Monrovia, CA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,704 in Monrovia, CA, $1,924 in San Jose – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,056 per month in Monrovia, CA 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 $101 in Monrovia, CA and $62.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Monrovia, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Monrovia, CA at $2,704. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monrovia, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,924 in San Jose to $2,704 in Monrovia, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Monrovia, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.