Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palm Coast, FL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,491 in Palm Coast, FL, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Palm Coast, FL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

120

Cost of Living Index in Palm Coast, FL
Learn more

Palm Coast, FL Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Palm Coast, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,491

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,491 per month in Palm Coast, FL vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Palm Coast, FL $2,491
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,464 per month in Palm Coast, FL vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Palm Coast, FL $3,464
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,437 per month in Palm Coast, FL vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Palm Coast, FL $4,437
San Jose $4,054

Palm Coast, FL costs about 18% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Palm Coast, FL and San Jose sit above the global median – Palm Coast, FL by 84%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.16 $17.16

$12.37 ₡5,563

38.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 $78.5

$62.4 ₡28.0K

25.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.18 $9.18

$11.71 ₡5,264

-21.61%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$4.54 ₡2,040

9.91%

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

$2.21 $2.21

$2.75 ₡1,238

-19.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.86 ₡837

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 $6.37

$3.35 ₡1,505

90.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.52 $7.52

$4.32 ₡1,944

74.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$2.36 ₡1,061

-63.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.07 ₡1,379

4.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.51 ₡1,128

34.26%

Eggs

$4.07 $4.07

$3.53 ₡1,585

15.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.04 $12.04

$10.54 ₡4,738

14.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.19 $8.19

$10.57 ₡4,754

-22.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.65 $14.65

$13.92 ₡6,261

5.24%

Apples (1kg)

$6.24 $6.24

$5.20 ₡2,338

20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.65 ₡740

-10.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$4.89 ₡2,198

3.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$3.84 ₡1,728

39.06%

Potato (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$3.91 ₡1,757

59.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$3.76 ₡1,692

1.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.12 ₡504

75.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.22 ₡1,447

-21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.81 $8.81

$6.02 ₡2,706

46.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.00 $8.00

$19.84 ₡8,919

-59.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.81 ₡1,264

-36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.65 ₡1,643

-33.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.26 ₡1,018

48.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.78 ₡799

-19.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.1 $60.1

$7.90 ₡3,551

660.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.50 ₡673

-41.33%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-14.95%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.52%

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

$242 $242

$93.2 ₡41.9K

159.77%

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

$45.75 $45.75

$36.13 ₡16.2K

26.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.46 $39.46

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-34.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.90 $27.90

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-59.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 $15.26

$7.67 ₡3,449

98.96%

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

$1,083 $1,083

$972 ₡436.9K

11.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K $25.6K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

35.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 $58.0

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-17.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 $40.53

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-28.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.9 $58.9

$129 ₡57.8K

-54.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$131 ₡58.8K

-13.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 $1,502

$1,170 ₡525.9K

28.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$943 ₡424.1K

39.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,015 $2,015

$1,984 ₡892.0K

1.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,816 $1,816

$1,400 ₡629.5K

29.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,973 $3,973

$987 ₡443.6K

302.70%

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 Palm Coast, FL: 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

Palm Coast, FL

$1.3K 52.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 28.1% $369

Groceries & Markets

Palm Coast, FL

$373 15%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 8.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palm Coast, FL

$327 13.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 42% $137

Eating Out

Palm Coast, FL

$288 11.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 19.3% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Palm Coast, FL

$122 4.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 43.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Palm Coast, FL

$58 2.4%

San Jose

$84 4% 44.2% $26

Getting Around

Palm Coast, FL

$11 * 0.4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 667% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,502 in Palm Coast, FL 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 Palm Coast, FL are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Palm Coast, FL versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $373 in Palm Coast, FL vs $403 in San Jose – so Palm Coast, FL wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Palm Coast, FL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

20:15 8:15 PM

1 h behind Palm Coast, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,013

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Palm Coast, FL San Jose 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Palm Coast, FL
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

Palm Coast, FL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Palm Coast, FL is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,736 per month in Palm Coast, FL 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 $1,502 in Palm Coast, FL.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,491 in Palm Coast, FL and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,083 per month in Palm Coast, FL and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Palm Coast, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.