Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Owensboro, KY and San Jose

For one person, living costs are similar in Owensboro, KY and in San Jose: $1,990 and $1,938 a month, rent and utilities included.

96

Cost of Living Index in Owensboro, KY
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Owensboro, KY Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Owensboro, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,990

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,990 in Owensboro, KY versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Owensboro, KY $1,990
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,922 in Owensboro, KY versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Owensboro, KY $2,922
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,855 in Owensboro, KY versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Owensboro, KY $3,855
San Jose $3,934

Living in Owensboro, KY is roughly 3% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Owensboro, KY 47% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.67 $19.67

$12.38 ₡5,551

58.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 $60.8

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-0.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 $10.19

$11.45 ₡5,135

-11.00%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$4.39 ₡1,967

22.78%

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

$1.93 $1.93

$2.70 ₡1,211

-28.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.93 ₡864

-31.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.20 ₡1,433

27.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 $4.95

$4.41 ₡1,979

12.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$2.44 ₡1,093

-67.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.05 ₡1,369

4.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$2.41 ₡1,081

86.31%

Eggs

$2.93 $2.93

$3.40 ₡1,523

-13.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 $6.65

$10.75 ₡4,823

-38.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.15 $11.15

$10.43 ₡4,679

6.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.01 $12.01

$13.99 ₡6,273

-14.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$5.25 ₡2,353

-15.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.59 ₡712

-22.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$4.69 ₡2,103

-42.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.95 ₡1,770

-8.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$3.92 ₡1,760

-42.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$3.68 ₡1,651

-38.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.12 ₡503

76.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.19 ₡1,429

-54.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.87 $8.87

$6.00 ₡2,692

47.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.82 $7.82

$19.56 ₡8,771

-60.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.82 ₡1,263

-32.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 $5.08

$3.59 ₡1,611

41.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.12 ₡503

-8.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.41 $29.41

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-55.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.59 $5.59

$2.50 ₡1,119

123.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.63 ₡733

-36.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.81 $17.81

$8.50 ₡3,812

109.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.56 ₡701

-45.51%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

66.93%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-24.23%

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

$168 $168

$95.2 ₡42.7K

75.99%

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

$61.0 $61.0

$35.58 ₡16.0K

71.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.9 $59.9

$58.6 ₡26.3K

2.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 $50.5

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-30.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.98 $9.98

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-59.84%

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 $13.34

$7.58 ₡3,401

75.99%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

$70.5 ₡31.6K

6.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.44 $42.44

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-23.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.2 $68.2

$130 ₡58.2K

-47.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 $91.5

$131 ₡58.7K

-30.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$857 $857

$927 ₡415.8K

-7.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$848 $848

$774 ₡347.2K

9.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 $1,401

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-28.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 $1,349

$1,288 ₡577.6K

4.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,690 $1,690

$2,274 ₡1.0M

-25.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,654 $1,654

$1,831 ₡821.0K

-9.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,316 $3,316

$1,016 ₡455.8K

226.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

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

Last update for Owensboro, KY: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Owensboro, KY

$848 42.6%

San Jose

$774 40% 8.7% $73

Groceries & Markets

Owensboro, KY

$312 15.7%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 28.6% $89

Eating Out

Owensboro, KY

$296 14.9%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 22.5% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Owensboro, KY

$288 14.5%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 34.3% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Owensboro, KY

$125 6.3%

San Jose

$174 9% 39.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Owensboro, KY

$77 3.9%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 13.9% $11

Getting Around

Owensboro, KY

$44 2.2%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 85.3% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $857 in Owensboro, KY and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Owensboro, KY pays 226% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Owensboro, KY vs $61.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $401 per month, with Owensboro, KY cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Owensboro, KY

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

20:55 8:55 PM

1 h behind Owensboro, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,525

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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Owensboro, KY San Jose 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Owensboro, KY
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

Owensboro, KY vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Owensboro, KY. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 226% higher in Owensboro, KY, 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: $857 in Owensboro, KY versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $61.0 in Owensboro, KY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 127% less than in Owensboro, KY. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $1,990 in Owensboro, KY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Owensboro, KY. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Jose delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,938 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Jose hard to pass up.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Owensboro, KY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.