Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth Amboy, NJ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,497 in Perth Amboy, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Perth Amboy, NJ
Learn more

Perth Amboy, NJ Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Perth Amboy, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,497

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,497 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Perth Amboy, NJ $2,497
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,699 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Perth Amboy, NJ $3,699
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,901 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Perth Amboy, NJ $4,901
San Jose $4,054

Living in Perth Amboy, NJ is roughly 19% 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: Perth Amboy, NJ 85% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.95 $18.95

$12.37 ₡5,546

53.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.7 $78.7

$62.4 ₡28.0K

26.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.92 $12.92

$11.71 ₡5,248

10.33%

Cappuccino

$6.20 $6.20

$4.54 ₡2,034

36.56%

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

$2.57 $2.57

$2.75 ₡1,234

-6.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.86 ₡835

-18.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.96 $8.96

$3.35 ₡1,501

167.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.32 ₡1,938

58.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.36 ₡1,057

-51.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 $2.24

$3.07 ₡1,375

-27.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$2.51 ₡1,124

145.42%

Eggs

$2.94 $2.94

$3.53 ₡1,580

-16.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 $14.22

$10.54 ₡4,724

34.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.44 $10.44

$10.57 ₡4,740

-1.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 $19.88

$13.92 ₡6,242

42.82%

Apples (1kg)

$6.14 $6.14

$5.20 ₡2,331

18.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.65 ₡738

110.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$4.89 ₡2,191

-14.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$3.84 ₡1,722

35.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.91 ₡1,752

-62.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$3.76 ₡1,687

-63.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.12 ₡503

31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.22 ₡1,443

-9.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.82 $14.82

$6.02 ₡2,698

146.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.85 $11.85

$19.84 ₡8,892

-40.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.81 ₡1,261

-37.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.65 ₡1,638

-0.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.08 ₡485

65.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.9 $57.9

$65.2 ₡29.2K

-11.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.26 ₡1,015

34.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.78 ₡797

20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.29 $41.29

$7.90 ₡3,540

422.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.50 ₡671

-28.67%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$33.5K ₡15.0M

-17.59%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.46%

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

$171 $171

$93.2 ₡41.8K

83.66%

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

$23.96 $23.96

$36.13 ₡16.2K

-33.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.92 $49.92

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-17.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.57 $39.57

$68.9 ₡30.9K

-42.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$18.29 $18.29

$7.67 ₡3,439

138.46%

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

$1,741 $1,741

$972 ₡435.6K

79.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

7.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.70 $32.70

$70.6 ₡31.7K

-53.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.16 $41.16

$56.7 ₡25.4K

-27.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 $77.3

$129 ₡57.7K

-39.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.5 $97.5

$131 ₡58.7K

-25.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 $1,604

$1,170 ₡524.3K

37.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 $1,239

$943 ₡422.8K

31.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,931 $2,931

$1,984 ₡889.3K

47.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,063 $2,063

$1,400 ₡627.6K

47.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,800 $2,800

$2,681 ₡1.2M

4.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,609 $2,609

$2,037 ₡913.0K

28.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,333 $3,333

$987 ₡442.3K

237.77%

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 Perth Amboy, NJ: 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

Perth Amboy, NJ

$1.2K 49.6%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 23.9% $295

Groceries & Markets

Perth Amboy, NJ

$407 16.3%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 1.1% $4.4

Eating Out

Perth Amboy, NJ

$340 13.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 31.6% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth Amboy, NJ

$245 9.8%

San Jose

$190 9% 22.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Perth Amboy, NJ

$112 4.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 55.5% $62

Getting Around

Perth Amboy, NJ

$79 3.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 2.4% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Perth Amboy, NJ

$76 3.1%

San Jose

$84 4% 10.7% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,604 in Perth Amboy, NJ and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth Amboy, NJ pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Perth Amboy, NJ vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Perth Amboy, NJ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

1 h behind Perth Amboy, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,607

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 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 = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Perth Amboy, NJ San Jose 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Perth Amboy, 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

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

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Perth Amboy, 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 Perth Amboy, NJ is about 3.4 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: $1,604 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,741 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $79 in Perth Amboy, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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