Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasco, WA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,569 in Pasco, WA, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Pasco, WA
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Pasco, WA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Pasco, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,569

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,569 in Pasco, WA versus $1,949 in San Jose.

Pasco, WA $2,569
San Jose $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,626 in Pasco, WA versus $2,903 in San Jose.

Pasco, WA $3,626
San Jose $2,903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,683 in Pasco, WA versus $3,857 in San Jose.

Pasco, WA $4,683
San Jose $3,857

Living in Pasco, WA is roughly 32% 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: Pasco, WA 92% above, San Jose 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.69 $18.69

$12.22 ₡5,510

52.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 $67.0

$60.1 ₡27.1K

11.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.05 $13.05

$11.77 ₡5,305

10.88%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$4.30 ₡1,939

39.07%

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

$2.55 $2.55

$2.72 ₡1,226

-6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.84 ₡830

-20.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$3.28 ₡1,480

146.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$4.36 ₡1,966

80.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.38 ₡1,074

-55.88%

White Bread (500g)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.12 ₡1,408

56.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.41 ₡1,086

110.37%

Eggs

$3.10 $3.10

$3.47 ₡1,564

-10.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.35 $12.35

$10.57 ₡4,767

16.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.49 $15.49

$10.56 ₡4,758

46.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.44 $22.44

$13.75 ₡6,196

63.20%

Apples (1kg)

$6.63 $6.63

$5.04 ₡2,274

31.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.61 ₡727

31.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$4.59 ₡2,069

-52.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$3.84 ₡1,731

-41.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.77 ₡1,700

-41.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.76 ₡1,693

-42.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.12 ₡506

83.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$3.20 ₡1,441

-36.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.34 $11.34

$5.84 ₡2,632

94.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 $15.17

$19.73 ₡8,897

-23.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.75 ₡1,240

27.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 $5.39

$3.66 ₡1,650

47.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.12 ₡503

36.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.46 ₡1,110

107.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.54 ₡692

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.88 $23.88

$8.46 ₡3,815

182.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.55 ₡699

-20.00%

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

$33.5K $33.5K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

54.19%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-25.28%

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

$316 $316

$94.7 ₡42.7K

233.31%

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

$64.5 $64.5

$35.11 ₡15.8K

83.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$58.6 ₡26.4K

15.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 $44.24

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-38.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 $15.22

$7.83 ₡3,532

94.38%

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

$1,700 $1,700

$971 ₡437.9K

75.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K $24.7K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

45.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 $66.4

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-7.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.91 $37.91

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-30.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 $98.9

$129 ₡58.2K

-23.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$133 ₡60.0K

-0.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 $1,501

$934 ₡420.9K

60.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 $1,102

$770 ₡347.2K

43.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,328 $2,328

$1,945 ₡876.7K

19.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 $1,709

$1,316 ₡593.5K

29.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,197 $4,197

$1,006 ₡453.5K

317.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Pasco, WA: October 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pasco, WA

$1.1K 42.9%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 30.1% $332

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasco, WA

$448 17.4%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 57.9% $259

Groceries & Markets

Pasco, WA

$442 17.2%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 9.7% $43

Eating Out

Pasco, WA

$333 12.9%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 31.4% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Pasco, WA

$151 5.9%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 15.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Pasco, WA

$75 2.9%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 17.6% $13

Getting Around

Pasco, WA

$21 * 0.8%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 288% $59

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 $1,501 in Pasco, WA and $934 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pasco, WA pays 317% 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: $67.0 in Pasco, WA vs $60.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $442 vs $399 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Pasco, WA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

19:12 7:12 PM

1 h ahead of Pasco, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,108

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

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Between locations

Pasco, WA San Jose 5,220 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Pasco, WA
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

Pasco, WA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Pasco, WA. 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 317% higher in Pasco, WA, 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: $1,501 in Pasco, WA versus $934 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Pasco, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,569 per month in Pasco, WA versus $1,949 in San Jose – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,949 in San Jose versus $2,569 in Pasco, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Pasco, WA. 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 $1,949 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 32% less than in Pasco, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.