Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montross, VA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,908 in Montross, VA, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Montross, VA
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Montross, VA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Montross, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,908

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,908 in Montross, VA versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Montross, VA $2,908
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,136 in Montross, VA versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Montross, VA $4,136
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,364 in Montross, VA versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Montross, VA $5,364
San Jose $4,054

Living in Montross, VA is roughly 38% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montross, VA 115% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.69 $23.69

$12.37 ₡5,563

91.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 $98.6

$62.4 ₡28.0K

58.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 $11.09

$11.71 ₡5,264

-5.29%

Cappuccino

$5.72 $5.72

$4.54 ₡2,040

25.99%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$2.75 ₡1,238

7.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.86 ₡837

29.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 $8.20

$3.35 ₡1,505

144.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.09 $9.09

$4.32 ₡1,944

110.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$2.36 ₡1,061

-49.15%

White Bread (500g)

$4.42 $4.42

$3.07 ₡1,379

43.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.50 $5.50

$2.51 ₡1,128

119.12%

Eggs

$5.19 $5.19

$3.53 ₡1,585

47.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.59 $21.59

$10.54 ₡4,738

104.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.72 $15.72

$10.57 ₡4,754

48.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.53 $22.53

$13.92 ₡6,261

61.85%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$5.20 ₡2,338

7.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.65 ₡740

14.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$4.89 ₡2,198

-6.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.98 $5.98

$3.84 ₡1,728

55.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.91 ₡1,757

-17.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$3.76 ₡1,692

2.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.12 ₡504

111.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.22 ₡1,447

-23.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 $9.56

$6.02 ₡2,706

58.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.74 $16.74

$19.84 ₡8,919

-15.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.81 ₡1,264

1.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.65 ₡1,643

-23.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.08 ₡487

80.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 $59.4

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-8.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.49 $4.49

$2.26 ₡1,018

98.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.78 ₡799

-6.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.81 $32.81

$7.90 ₡3,551

315.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.50 ₡673

-30.00%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-13.87%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-40.07%

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

$165 $165

$93.2 ₡41.9K

76.78%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$36.13 ₡16.2K

42.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.5 $62.5

$60.6 ₡27.2K

3.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 $44.55

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-35.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$16.19 $16.19

$7.67 ₡3,449

111.08%

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

$1,881 $1,881

$972 ₡436.9K

93.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

27.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 $54.3

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-23.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.5 $61.5

$56.7 ₡25.5K

8.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$129 ₡57.8K

-20.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 $160

$131 ₡58.8K

22.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,436 $1,436

$1,170 ₡525.9K

22.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 $1,423

$943 ₡424.1K

50.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 $2,240

$1,984 ₡892.0K

12.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 $1,925

$1,400 ₡629.5K

37.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,237 $3,237

$2,681 ₡1.2M

20.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,482 $2,482

$2,037 ₡915.8K

21.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

8.62

-20.42%

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

Last update for Montross, VA: 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

Montross, VA

$1.4K 49%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 33.7% $480

Groceries & Markets

Montross, VA

$507 17.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 20.5% $104

Eating Out

Montross, VA

$372 12.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 37.5% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montross, VA

$279 9.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 31.9% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Montross, VA

$170 5.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 2.2% $3.8

Getting Around

Montross, VA

$80 2.8%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 0.9% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Montross, VA

$77 2.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 9.5% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,436 in Montross, VA and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $99 in Montross, VA vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $507 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Montross, VA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

11:01 11:01 AM

1 h behind Montross, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

400

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

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Between locations

Montross, VA San Jose 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Montross, VA
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

Montross, VA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,362 in Montross, VA and $3,161 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: $1,436 in Montross, VA versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,908 per month in Montross, VA versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Montross, VA runs roughly 9% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,908 in Montross, VA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Montross, VA. 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.