Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Orem, UT and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,487 in Orem, UT, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Orem, UT outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

119

Cost of Living Index in Orem, UT
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Orem, UT Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Orem, UT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,487

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,487 in Orem, UT versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Orem, UT $2,487
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,371 in Orem, UT versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Orem, UT $3,371
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,254 in Orem, UT versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Orem, UT $4,254
San Jose $4,054

Living in Orem, UT is roughly 18% 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: Orem, UT 84% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.87 $14.87

$12.37 ₡5,572

20.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.7 $59.7

$62.4 ₡28.1K

-4.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 $11.05

$11.71 ₡5,272

-5.64%

Cappuccino

$4.44 $4.44

$4.54 ₡2,043

-2.20%

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

$1.78 $1.78

$2.75 ₡1,239

-35.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.86 ₡839

-20.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 $6.09

$3.35 ₡1,508

81.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$4.32 ₡1,947

64.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.36 ₡1,062

-56.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 $3.13

$3.07 ₡1,381

1.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.51 ₡1,129

-2.79%

Eggs

$2.97 $2.97

$3.53 ₡1,588

-15.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 $14.05

$10.54 ₡4,746

33.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.07 $13.07

$10.57 ₡4,761

23.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.44 $19.44

$13.92 ₡6,270

39.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$5.20 ₡2,341

-46.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.65 ₡742

0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$4.89 ₡2,201

-49.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.84 ₡1,730

16.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,760

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$3.76 ₡1,694

-65.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.12 ₡505

54.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$3.22 ₡1,449

-40.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.73 $9.73

$6.02 ₡2,711

61.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$19.84 ₡8,932

-24.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.81 ₡1,266

-22.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.65 ₡1,646

-18.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.08 ₡488

134.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.5 $84.5

$65.2 ₡29.4K

29.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.26 ₡1,019

-34.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.78 ₡800

-46.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.03 $20.03

$7.90 ₡3,557

153.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.50 ₡674

-26.00%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-24.72%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.44%

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

$166 $166

$93.2 ₡42.0K

78.61%

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

$43.98 $43.98

$36.13 ₡16.3K

21.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 $60.5

$60.6 ₡27.3K

-0.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.40 $22.40

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-67.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$15.08 $15.08

$7.67 ₡3,454

96.61%

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

$786 $786

$972 ₡437.6K

-19.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K $12.9K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-31.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 $52.9

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-25.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.64 $40.64

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-28.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 $85.8

$129 ₡57.9K

-33.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$131 ₡58.9K

1.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,638 $1,638

$1,170 ₡526.7K

40.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 $1,295

$943 ₡424.7K

37.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 $2,203

$1,984 ₡893.3K

11.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 $1,659

$1,400 ₡630.5K

18.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,636 $2,636

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-1.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 $2,195

$2,037 ₡917.1K

7.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,693 $3,693

$987 ₡444.3K

274.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

8.62

-20.77%

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

Last update for Orem, UT: 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

Orem, UT

$1.3K 52.1%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 27.2% $352

Groceries & Markets

Orem, UT

$365 * 14.7%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 10.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Orem, UT

$271 10.9%

San Jose

$190 9% 29.9% $81

Eating Out

Orem, UT

$263 10.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 11.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Orem, UT

$140 5.6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 24.1% $34

Getting Around

Orem, UT

$101 4.1%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 20% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Orem, UT

$53 2.1%

San Jose

$84 4% 60.3% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,638 in Orem, UT and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Orem, UT pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Orem, UT vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $403 per month, with Orem, UT cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Orem, UT

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

15:42 3:42 PM

1 h ahead of Orem, UT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,129

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Orem, UT San Jose 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Orem, UT
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

Orem, UT vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 15% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Orem, UT is about 3.7 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: $1,638 in Orem, UT versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Orem, UT pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Orem, UT – a meal for two runs $60 versus $62 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Orem, UT on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.