Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Passaic, NJ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,684 in Passaic, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Passaic, NJ
Learn more

Passaic, NJ Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Passaic, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,684

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,684 in Passaic, NJ versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Passaic, NJ $2,684
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,916 in Passaic, NJ versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Passaic, NJ $3,916
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,149 in Passaic, NJ versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Passaic, NJ $5,149
San Jose $4,054

Living in Passaic, NJ is roughly 27% 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: Passaic, NJ 99% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.30 $19.30

$12.37 ₡5,563

56.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 $79.5

$62.4 ₡28.0K

27.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 $13.17

$11.71 ₡5,264

12.47%

Cappuccino

$6.36 $6.36

$4.54 ₡2,040

40.09%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$2.75 ₡1,238

-10.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.86 ₡837

-17.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 $7.92

$3.35 ₡1,505

136.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$4.32 ₡1,944

65.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.36 ₡1,061

-43.64%

White Bread (500g)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.07 ₡1,379

47.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$2.51 ₡1,128

143.82%

Eggs

$5.93 $5.93

$3.53 ₡1,585

67.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.41 $19.41

$10.54 ₡4,738

84.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 $10.36

$10.57 ₡4,754

-1.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 $19.77

$13.92 ₡6,261

42.03%

Apples (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$5.20 ₡2,338

14.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.65 ₡740

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$4.89 ₡2,198

-13.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$3.84 ₡1,728

36.98%

Potato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$3.91 ₡1,757

14.07%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.76 ₡1,692

15.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.12 ₡504

170.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.22 ₡1,447

-7.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.56 $14.56

$6.02 ₡2,706

141.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.78 $14.78

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.81 ₡1,264

-34.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$3.65 ₡1,643

-4.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.08 ₡487

86.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 $60.4

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-7.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.26 ₡1,018

36.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.78 ₡799

20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.51 $41.51

$7.90 ₡3,551

425.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.50 ₡673

-23.33%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-17.18%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.71%

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

$171 $171

$93.2 ₡41.9K

83.32%

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

$49.83 $49.83

$36.13 ₡16.2K

37.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.27 $49.27

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-18.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.19 $40.19

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-41.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$19.92 $19.92

$7.67 ₡3,449

159.71%

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

$1,495 $1,495

$972 ₡436.9K

53.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K $20.2K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

6.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 $50.4

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-28.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 $51.8

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-8.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 $85.8

$129 ₡57.8K

-33.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$131 ₡58.8K

-22.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 $1,735

$1,170 ₡525.9K

48.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,303 $1,303

$943 ₡424.1K

38.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,251 $2,251

$1,984 ₡892.0K

13.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,029 $2,029

$1,400 ₡629.5K

44.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,970 $2,970

$2,681 ₡1.2M

10.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,254 $2,254

$2,037 ₡915.8K

10.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,711 $3,711

$987 ₡443.6K

276.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

8.62

-22.04%

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

Last update for Passaic, NJ: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Passaic, NJ

$1.3K 48.6%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 27.6% $360

Groceries & Markets

Passaic, NJ

$479 17.8%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 15.9% $76

Eating Out

Passaic, NJ

$340 12.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 31.7% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Passaic, NJ

$270 10.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 29.6% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Passaic, NJ

$130 4.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 33.9% $44

Getting Around

Passaic, NJ

$82 3.1%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 1.8% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Passaic, NJ

$80 3%

San Jose

$84 4% 5.3% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,735 in Passaic, NJ and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Passaic, NJ pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Passaic, NJ vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Passaic, NJ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

08:55 8:55 AM

1 h behind Passaic, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,974

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Passaic, NJ San Jose 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Passaic, NJ
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

Passaic, NJ vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Passaic, NJ. 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 in Passaic, NJ is about 3.8 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: $1,735 in Passaic, NJ versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Passaic, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $80 in Passaic, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,684 in Passaic, NJ, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Passaic, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Passaic, NJ on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.