Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newton, MA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Newton, MA: $1,640 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Jose outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Newton, MA
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Newton, MA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Newton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,640

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,640 per month in Newton, MA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Newton, MA $1,640
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $5,429 per month in Newton, MA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Newton, MA $5,429
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $9,218 per month in Newton, MA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Newton, MA $9,218
San Jose $4,054

Newton, MA is about 22% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Newton, MA and San Jose sit above the global median – Newton, MA by 21%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.97 $29.97

$12.37 ₡5,563

142.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 $121

$62.4 ₡28.0K

94.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 $12.16

$11.71 ₡5,264

3.84%

Cappuccino

$6.05 $6.05

$4.54 ₡2,040

33.26%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$2.75 ₡1,238

11.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.86 ₡837

25.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.24 $8.24

$3.35 ₡1,505

145.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.89 $7.89

$4.32 ₡1,944

82.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.36 ₡1,061

-53.81%

White Bread (500g)

$4.77 $4.77

$3.07 ₡1,379

55.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.24 $7.24

$2.51 ₡1,128

188.45%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$3.53 ₡1,585

21.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.46 $19.46

$10.54 ₡4,738

84.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.02 $11.02

$10.57 ₡4,754

4.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.00 $16.00

$13.92 ₡6,261

14.94%

Apples (1kg)

$5.28 $5.28

$5.20 ₡2,338

1.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.65 ₡740

4.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.61 $5.61

$4.89 ₡2,198

14.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.59 $6.59

$3.84 ₡1,728

71.61%

Potato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.91 ₡1,757

11.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$3.76 ₡1,692

1.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.12 ₡504

160.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.22 ₡1,447

-20.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.35 $12.35

$6.02 ₡2,706

105.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.84 $14.84

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.81 ₡1,264

-33.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$3.65 ₡1,643

-30.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.08 ₡487

126.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.2 $91.2

$65.2 ₡29.3K

39.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.26 ₡1,018

16.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.78 ₡799

-3.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.46 $27.46

$7.90 ₡3,551

247.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.50 ₡673

-24.00%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-17.99%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.13%

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

$238 $238

$93.2 ₡41.9K

155.40%

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

$57.0 $57.0

$36.13 ₡16.2K

57.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.4 $76.4

$60.6 ₡27.2K

26.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.3 $66.3

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-3.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$16.12 $16.12

$7.67 ₡3,449

110.17%

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

$2,591 $2,591

$972 ₡436.9K

166.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K $27.6K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

46.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.4 $74.4

$70.6 ₡31.8K

5.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 $50.6

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-10.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$129 ₡57.8K

-13.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$131 ₡58.8K

0.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,822 $1,822

$1,170 ₡525.9K

55.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,530 $6,530

$1,984 ₡892.0K

229.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,452 $5,452

$1,400 ₡629.5K

289.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,593 $5,593

$2,681 ₡1.2M

108.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,036 $5,036

$2,037 ₡915.8K

147.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,756 $7,756

$987 ₡443.6K

686.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

8.62

-22.39%

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

Last update for Newton, MA: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Newton, MA

$466 28.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 13.5% $63

Eating Out

Newton, MA

$427 26.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 45.6% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newton, MA

$371 22.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 48.9% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Newton, MA

$165 10.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 5.3% $8.7

Getting Around

Newton, MA

$112 6.8%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 28.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Newton, MA

$99 6%

San Jose

$84 4% 14.5% $14

Accommodation & Living

Newton, MA

- * 0%

San Jose

$943 44.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,822 in Newton, MA 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.

Salaries in Newton, MA are about 7.9 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $121 in Newton, MA versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $466 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newton, MA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

09:17 9:17 AM

1 h behind Newton, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,146

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Newton, MA San Jose 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Newton, MA
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

Newton, MA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,640 in Newton, MA, $2,107 in San Jose – Newton, MA comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Newton, MA 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 $1,822 in Newton, MA.

Public transport costs about 28% less in San Jose. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,591 per month in Newton, MA and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,640 in Newton, MA and $2,107 in San Jose, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,640 in Newton, MA to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.