Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monument, CO and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,207 in Monument, CO, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Monument, CO outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

154

Cost of Living Index in Monument, CO
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Monument, CO Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Monument, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,207

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,207 per month in Monument, CO vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Monument, CO $3,207
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,458 per month in Monument, CO vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Monument, CO $4,458
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,709 per month in Monument, CO vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Monument, CO $5,709
San Jose $4,054

Monument, CO costs about 52% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Monument, CO and San Jose sit above the global median – Monument, CO by 137%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.93 $22.93

$12.37 ₡5,563

85.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.4 $80.4

$62.4 ₡28.0K

28.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 $10.89

$11.71 ₡5,264

-7.00%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$4.54 ₡2,040

25.77%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$2.75 ₡1,238

-7.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.86 ₡837

10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.35 ₡1,505

82.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.02 $7.02

$4.32 ₡1,944

62.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.36 ₡1,061

-58.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.07 ₡1,379

-4.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.51 ₡1,128

10.36%

Eggs

$4.31 $4.31

$3.53 ₡1,585

22.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.07 $11.07

$10.54 ₡4,738

5.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.40 $9.40

$10.57 ₡4,754

-11.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.42 $19.42

$13.92 ₡6,261

39.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$5.20 ₡2,338

-5.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.65 ₡740

-13.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$4.89 ₡2,198

-6.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$3.84 ₡1,728

20.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.91 ₡1,757

-38.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$3.76 ₡1,692

-33.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.12 ₡504

97.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$3.22 ₡1,447

-45.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.38 $10.38

$6.02 ₡2,706

72.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.49 $16.49

$19.84 ₡8,919

-16.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.81 ₡1,264

-11.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.65 ₡1,643

-25.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.26 ₡1,018

12.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.78 ₡799

-10.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.26 $25.26

$7.90 ₡3,551

219.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.50 ₡673

-29.33%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.65%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.76%

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

$197 $197

$93.2 ₡41.9K

111.62%

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

$55.2 $55.2

$36.13 ₡16.2K

52.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$60.6 ₡27.2K

14.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.50 $24.50

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-64.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$12.16 $12.16

$7.67 ₡3,449

58.54%

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

$1,290 $1,290

$972 ₡436.9K

32.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K $11.6K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-38.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 $59.5

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-15.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.51 $35.51

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-37.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 $81.4

$129 ₡57.8K

-36.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$131 ₡58.8K

-20.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,991 $1,991

$1,170 ₡525.9K

70.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,978 $1,978

$943 ₡424.1K

109.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$1,984 ₡892.0K

53.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,965 $2,965

$1,400 ₡629.5K

111.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

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

Last update for Monument, CO: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monument, CO

$2K 61.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 52.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Monument, CO

$374 11.7%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 7.8% $29

Eating Out

Monument, CO

$348 10.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 33.2% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monument, CO

$322 10%

San Jose

$190 9% 40.9% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Monument, CO

$126 3.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 38.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Monument, CO

$49 1.5%

San Jose

$84 4% 72.6% $35

Getting Around

Monument, CO

$11 * 0.3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 665% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,991 in Monument, CO versus $1,170 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 $80 in Monument, CO versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $374 in Monument, CO vs $403 in San Jose – so Monument, CO wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monument, CO

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

05:56 5:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

1 h ahead of Monument, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,000

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

Monument, CO San Jose 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Monument, CO
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

Monument, CO vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monument, CO is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,810 per month in Monument, CO and $3,161 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,991 in Monument, CO.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Monument, CO and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Monument, CO – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Monument, CO at $3,207. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monument, CO 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.