Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mountain View, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $4,611 in Mountain View, CA, rent and utilities included – about $32,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

222

Cost of Living Index in Mountain View, CA
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Mountain View, CA Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Mountain View, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,611

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,611 per month in Mountain View, CA vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Mountain View, CA $4,611
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $6,506 per month in Mountain View, CA vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Mountain View, CA $6,506
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $8,402 per month in Mountain View, CA vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Mountain View, CA $8,402
San Jose $3,934

Mountain View, CA costs about 138% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mountain View, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Mountain View, CA by 242%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.21 $20.21

$12.38 ₡5,551

63.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$60.9 ₡27.3K

64.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.90 $11.90

$11.45 ₡5,135

3.93%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$4.39 ₡1,967

21.87%

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

$2.80 $2.80

$2.70 ₡1,211

3.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.93 ₡864

41.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$3.20 ₡1,433

118.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.89 $9.89

$4.41 ₡1,979

124.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.44 ₡1,093

-47.95%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.05 ₡1,369

42.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.41 ₡1,081

103.73%

Eggs

$5.42 $5.42

$3.40 ₡1,523

59.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 $16.31

$10.75 ₡4,823

51.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.55 $11.55

$10.43 ₡4,679

10.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$13.99 ₡6,273

-7.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$5.25 ₡2,353

5.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.59 ₡712

25.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$4.69 ₡2,103

-4.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$3.95 ₡1,770

45.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$3.92 ₡1,760

-3.32%

Onion (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$3.68 ₡1,651

52.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.12 ₡503

127.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.19 ₡1,429

-14.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.49 $11.49

$6.00 ₡2,692

91.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.05 $13.05

$19.56 ₡8,771

-33.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.82 ₡1,263

-26.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$3.59 ₡1,611

-32.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.86 $4.86

$1.12 ₡503

333.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.50 ₡1,119

62.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.88 $4.88

$1.63 ₡733

199.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.56 ₡701

-3.21%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

63.74%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-27.59%

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

$289 $289

$95.2 ₡42.7K

203.63%

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

$44.50 $44.50

$35.58 ₡16.0K

25.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 $62.1

$58.6 ₡26.3K

5.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.2 $71.2

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-2.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.19 $12.19

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-50.95%

Cinema Ticket

$16.92 $16.92

$7.58 ₡3,401

123.22%

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

$2,281 $2,281

$1,001 ₡449.0K

127.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K $24.2K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

41.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 $51.5

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-26.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$102 $102

$55.8 ₡25.0K

82.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 $148

$130 ₡58.2K

14.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$131 ₡58.7K

13.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,890 $2,890

$927 ₡415.8K

211.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,085 $3,085

$774 ₡347.2K

298.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,542 $5,542

$1,967 ₡882.0K

181.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,997 $4,997

$1,288 ₡577.6K

287.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K $10.6K

$2,274 ₡1.0M

364.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.2K $10.2K

$1,831 ₡821.0K

458.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,341 $9,341

$1,016 ₡455.8K

819.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.14

8.62

-28.77%

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

Last update for Mountain View, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mountain View, CA

$3.1K 66.9%

San Jose

$774 40% 74.9% $2.3K

Groceries & Markets

Mountain View, CA

$436 9.5%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 8.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mountain View, CA

$396 8.6%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 52.1% $206

Eating Out

Mountain View, CA

$338 7.3%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 32.2% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Mountain View, CA

$203 4.4%

San Jose

$174 9% 14.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Mountain View, CA

$105 2.3%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 16.4% $17

Getting Around

Mountain View, CA

$48 * 1%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 71.1% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,890 in Mountain View, CA versus $927 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.

Salaries run about 819% higher in Mountain View, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Mountain View, CA versus $61.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $436 vs $401 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Mountain View, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

1 h ahead of Mountain View, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,739

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Mountain View, CA San Jose 4,870 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Mountain View, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $4,611 in Mountain View, CA, $1,938 in San Jose – roughly 138% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,916 per month in Mountain View, CA and $2,907 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 $100 in Mountain View, CA and $61.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Mountain View, 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 $1,938, than in Mountain View, CA at $4,611. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mountain View, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mountain View, CA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,938 in San Jose to $4,611 in Mountain View, 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, Mountain View, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.