Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oak Park, IL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,585 in Oak Park, IL, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Oak Park, IL
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Oak Park, IL Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Oak Park, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,585

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,585 per month in Oak Park, IL vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Oak Park, IL $2,585
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,781 per month in Oak Park, IL vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Oak Park, IL $3,781
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $4,977 per month in Oak Park, IL vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Oak Park, IL $4,977
San Jose $3,929

Oak Park, IL costs about 34% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Oak Park, IL and San Jose sit above the global median – Oak Park, IL by 91%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$12.29 ₡5,513

61.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$62.3 ₡27.9K

20.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 $11.41

$11.53 ₡5,171

-1.04%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.35 ₡1,953

25.75%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$2.64 ₡1,183

3.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.86 ₡836

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.32 ₡1,490

81.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$4.52 ₡2,026

58.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.39 ₡1,073

-57.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.08 ₡1,381

14.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.50 ₡1,119

68.80%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$3.48 ₡1,562

18.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.11 $14.11

$10.74 ₡4,815

31.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 $11.34

$10.32 ₡4,629

9.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.89 $16.89

$14.10 ₡6,325

19.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$5.03 ₡2,256

-1.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.59 ₡714

-1.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$4.84 ₡2,171

-8.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.96 ₡1,776

12.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$3.76 ₡1,684

-27.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.73 ₡1,674

-26.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.08 ₡485

77.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.25 ₡1,456

-21.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.26 $9.26

$5.86 ₡2,627

58.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$20.28 ₡9,095

-26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.90 ₡1,300

-23.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.73 ₡1,673

-7.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.08 ₡486

58.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.50 ₡1,123

7.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.63 ₡732

21.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.26 $33.26

$8.71 ₡3,904

281.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.58 ₡709

-34.18%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-22.81%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-42.10%

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

$198 $198

$93.7 ₡42.0K

111.02%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$35.42 ₡15.9K

67.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$60.0 ₡26.9K

17.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.92 $37.92

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-47.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$12.41 $12.41

$7.74 ₡3,471

60.34%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$1,005 ₡450.9K

44.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

36.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 $53.1

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-27.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.71 $43.71

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-21.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$128 ₡57.5K

-31.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$130 ₡58.5K

-5.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 $1,575

$932 ₡418.0K

69.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,312 $1,312

$760 ₡340.8K

72.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,550 $2,550

$1,922 ₡862.0K

32.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,168 $2,168

$1,276 ₡572.1K

69.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,118 $3,118

$2,301 ₡1.0M

35.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,251 $2,251

$1,833 ₡821.9K

22.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,703 $5,703

$1,029 ₡461.3K

454.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Oak Park, IL: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oak Park, IL

$1.3K 50.8%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 42.1% $552

Groceries & Markets

Oak Park, IL

$403 15.6%

San Jose

$403 21% 0.1% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oak Park, IL

$328 12.7%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 42.3% $139

Eating Out

Oak Park, IL

$322 12.5%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 28.9% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Oak Park, IL

$139 5.4%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 25.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Oak Park, IL

$63 2.4%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 40.4% $25

Getting Around

Oak Park, IL

$19 * 0.8%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 314% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,575 in Oak Park, IL versus $932 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 454% higher in Oak Park, IL, 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 $75.0 in Oak Park, IL versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $403 in Oak Park, IL vs $403 in San Jose – so Oak Park, IL wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Oak Park, IL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

12:51 12:51 PM

1 h behind Oak Park, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,583

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Between locations

Oak Park, IL San Jose 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Oak Park, IL
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

Oak Park, IL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,585 in Oak Park, IL, $1,924 in San Jose – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,877 per month in Oak Park, IL and $2,886 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 $75.0 in Oak Park, IL and $62.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Oak Park, IL – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Oak Park, IL at $2,585. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oak Park, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,924 in San Jose to $2,585 in Oak Park, IL. 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, Oak Park, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.