Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pembroke Pines, FL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,538 in Pembroke Pines, FL, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Pembroke Pines, FL
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Pembroke Pines, FL Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Pembroke Pines, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,538

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,538 per month in Pembroke Pines, FL vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Pembroke Pines, FL $3,538
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,964 per month in Pembroke Pines, FL vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Pembroke Pines, FL $4,964
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $6,391 per month in Pembroke Pines, FL vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Pembroke Pines, FL $6,391
San Jose $4,054

Pembroke Pines, FL costs about 68% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pembroke Pines, FL and San Jose sit above the global median – Pembroke Pines, FL by 162%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.53 $30.53

$12.37 ₡5,563

146.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.1 $94.1

$62.4 ₡28.0K

50.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.00 $15.00

$11.71 ₡5,264

28.10%

Cappuccino

$5.42 $5.42

$4.54 ₡2,040

19.38%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$2.75 ₡1,238

-6.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.86 ₡837

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.01 $6.01

$3.35 ₡1,505

79.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 $6.84

$4.32 ₡1,944

58.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$2.36 ₡1,061

-55.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.07 ₡1,379

0.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.51 ₡1,128

31.08%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$3.53 ₡1,585

34.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.00 $13.00

$10.54 ₡4,738

23.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.68 $12.68

$10.57 ₡4,754

19.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.63 $19.63

$13.92 ₡6,261

41.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$5.20 ₡2,338

-7.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.65 ₡740

17.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$4.89 ₡2,198

-14.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$3.84 ₡1,728

39.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.91 ₡1,757

-29.16%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.76 ₡1,692

-14.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.12 ₡504

137.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$3.22 ₡1,447

-44.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.32 $9.32

$6.02 ₡2,706

54.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.13 $13.13

$19.84 ₡8,919

-33.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.81 ₡1,264

8.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$3.65 ₡1,643

-42.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.08 ₡487

170.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.27 $45.27

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-30.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.74 $3.74

$2.26 ₡1,018

65.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.78 ₡799

-0.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.86 $23.86

$7.90 ₡3,551

202.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.50 ₡673

-30.67%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-17.52%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.80%

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

$225 $225

$93.2 ₡41.9K

141.95%

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

$66.0 $66.0

$36.13 ₡16.2K

82.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.5 $81.5

$60.6 ₡27.2K

34.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.60 $28.60

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-58.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.71 $13.71

$7.67 ₡3,449

78.75%

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

$1,011 $1,011

$972 ₡436.9K

4.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

65.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.91 $45.91

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-34.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.99 $40.99

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-27.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$129 ₡57.8K

-18.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$131 ₡58.8K

-12.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,179 $2,179

$1,170 ₡525.9K

86.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,078 $2,078

$943 ₡424.1K

120.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,087 $3,087

$1,984 ₡892.0K

55.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,119 $3,119

$1,400 ₡629.5K

122.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,422 $2,422

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-9.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,441 $3,441

$2,037 ₡915.8K

68.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,446 $4,446

$987 ₡443.6K

350.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

8.62

-23.90%

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

Last update for Pembroke Pines, FL: 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

Pembroke Pines, FL

$2.1K 58.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 54.6% $1.1K

Eating Out

Pembroke Pines, FL

$417 11.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 44.3% $185

Groceries & Markets

Pembroke Pines, FL

$407 11.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 1% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pembroke Pines, FL

$373 10.5%

San Jose

$190 9% 49.1% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Pembroke Pines, FL

$138 3.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 26.5% $36

Getting Around

Pembroke Pines, FL

$70 2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 16% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Pembroke Pines, FL

$56 1.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 50.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,179 in Pembroke Pines, 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 Pembroke Pines, FL are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94 in Pembroke Pines, FL versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Pembroke Pines, FL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:53 5:53 PM

16:53 4:53 PM

1 h behind Pembroke Pines, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,064

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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 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

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Between locations

Pembroke Pines, FL San Jose 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pembroke Pines, 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

Pembroke Pines, FL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,538 in Pembroke Pines, FL, $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose comes out roughly 40% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,306 per month in Pembroke Pines, 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 $2,179 in Pembroke Pines, FL.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,538 in Pembroke Pines, FL and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 40% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,011 per month in Pembroke Pines, FL and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Pembroke Pines, FL at $3,538. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pembroke Pines, FL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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, Pembroke Pines, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.