Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newark, NJ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,865 in Newark, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Newark, NJ
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Newark, NJ Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Newark, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,865

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,865 in Newark, NJ versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Newark, NJ $2,865
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,206 in Newark, NJ versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Newark, NJ $4,206
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,546 in Newark, NJ versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Newark, NJ $5,546
San Jose $4,054

Living in Newark, NJ is roughly 36% 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: Newark, NJ 112% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.32 $20.32

$12.37 ₡5,563

64.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$62.4 ₡28.0K

62.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.46 $14.46

$11.71 ₡5,264

23.48%

Cappuccino

$6.68 $6.68

$4.54 ₡2,040

47.14%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$2.75 ₡1,238

40.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.86 ₡837

32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$3.35 ₡1,505

134.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.91 $9.91

$4.32 ₡1,944

129.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$2.36 ₡1,061

-41.95%

White Bread (500g)

$4.60 $4.60

$3.07 ₡1,379

49.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.73 $7.73

$2.51 ₡1,128

207.97%

Eggs

$6.00 $6.00

$3.53 ₡1,585

69.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$10.54 ₡4,738

-33.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.01 $18.01

$10.57 ₡4,754

70.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 $20.84

$13.92 ₡6,261

49.71%

Apples (1kg)

$7.08 $7.08

$5.20 ₡2,338

36.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.65 ₡740

38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$4.89 ₡2,198

38.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$3.84 ₡1,728

75.52%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.91 ₡1,757

17.90%

Onion (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.76 ₡1,692

29.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.12 ₡504

167.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.22 ₡1,447

-15.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.46 $11.46

$6.02 ₡2,706

90.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.68 $19.68

$19.84 ₡8,919

-0.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.81 ₡1,264

-31.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$3.65 ₡1,643

-23.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.08 ₡487

76.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.0 $72.0

$65.2 ₡29.3K

10.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.26 ₡1,018

36.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.78 ₡799

24.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.70 $38.70

$7.90 ₡3,551

389.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.50 ₡673

-28.00%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.59%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-39.13%

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

$217 $217

$93.2 ₡41.9K

132.91%

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

$71.6 $71.6

$36.13 ₡16.2K

98.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

15.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.28 $15.28

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-77.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.46 $17.46

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-29.99%

Cinema Ticket

$14.59 $14.59

$7.67 ₡3,449

90.22%

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

$2,155 $2,155

$972 ₡436.9K

121.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.9K $33.9K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

79.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 $59.3

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-16.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.50 $27.50

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-51.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$129 ₡57.8K

-6.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$131 ₡58.8K

4.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,489 $2,489

$1,170 ₡525.9K

112.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 $1,321

$943 ₡424.1K

40.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,273 $3,273

$1,984 ₡892.0K

64.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 $2,028

$1,400 ₡629.5K

44.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,190 $4,190

$2,681 ₡1.2M

56.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,612 $3,612

$2,037 ₡915.8K

77.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,912 $3,912

$987 ₡443.6K

296.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

8.62

-22.51%

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

Last update for Newark, NJ: 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

Newark, NJ

$1.3K 46.1%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 28.6% $378

Groceries & Markets

Newark, NJ

$521 18.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 22.7% $118

Eating Out

Newark, NJ

$371 12.9%

San Jose

$232 11% 37.3% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newark, NJ

$359 12.5%

San Jose

$190 9% 47.1% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Newark, NJ

$155 5.4%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 12.5% $19

Getting Around

Newark, NJ

$94 3.3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 14% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Newark, NJ

$44 1.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 89.5% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,489 in Newark, NJ and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Newark, NJ pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $102 in Newark, NJ vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $521 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newark, NJ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:36 7:36 AM

06:36 6:36 AM

1 h behind Newark, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

311,549

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

Newark, NJ San Jose 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Newark, NJ
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

Newark, NJ vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Newark, NJ is about 4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,489 in Newark, NJ versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Childcare runs $2,155 in Newark, NJ versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,865 in Newark, NJ, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Newark, NJ. 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Newark, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.