Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pocatello, ID and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Pocatello, ID: $1,942 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Pocatello, ID
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Pocatello, ID Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Pocatello, ID

🇺🇸 United States

$1,942

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,942 in Pocatello, ID versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Pocatello, ID $1,942
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,673 in Pocatello, ID versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Pocatello, ID $2,673
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,403 in Pocatello, ID versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Pocatello, ID $3,403
San Jose $4,054

Living in Pocatello, ID costs roughly 8% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pocatello, ID 44% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.07 $15.07

$12.37 ₡5,563

21.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.28 $49.28

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-21.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 $10.16

$11.71 ₡5,264

-13.24%

Cappuccino

$5.08 $5.08

$4.54 ₡2,040

11.89%

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

$2.16 $2.16

$2.75 ₡1,238

-21.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.86 ₡837

-11.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.35 ₡1,505

-13.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 $4.98

$4.32 ₡1,944

15.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$2.36 ₡1,061

-64.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.07 ₡1,379

9.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.51 ₡1,128

59.76%

Eggs

$4.21 $4.21

$3.53 ₡1,585

19.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$10.54 ₡4,738

-17.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.25 $12.25

$10.57 ₡4,754

15.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$13.92 ₡6,261

24.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$5.20 ₡2,338

-23.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.65 ₡740

-18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$4.89 ₡2,198

-26.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.84 ₡1,728

-11.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 $0.57

$3.91 ₡1,757

-85.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$3.76 ₡1,692

-35.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.12 ₡504

72.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$3.22 ₡1,447

-41.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.38 $10.38

$6.02 ₡2,706

72.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 $8.87

$19.84 ₡8,919

-55.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.81 ₡1,264

-4.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.65 ₡1,643

-5.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.26 ₡1,018

7.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.78 ₡799

26.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.12 $25.12

$7.90 ₡3,551

217.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.50 ₡673

-36.00%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

5.28%

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

$23.5K $23.5K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-44.37%

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

$157 $157

$93.2 ₡41.9K

68.20%

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

$52.4 $52.4

$36.13 ₡16.2K

45.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$60.6 ₡27.2K

16.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.78 $38.78

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-43.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.90 $14.90

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-40.26%

Cinema Ticket

$12.48 $12.48

$7.67 ₡3,449

62.71%

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

$485 $485

$972 ₡436.9K

-50.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

43.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.21 $49.21

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-30.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.40 $45.40

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-19.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 $80.9

$129 ₡57.8K

-37.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 $69.7

$131 ₡58.8K

-46.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 $1,117

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-4.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 $874

$943 ₡424.1K

-7.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,661 $1,661

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-16.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 $1,097

$1,400 ₡629.5K

-21.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,005 $2,005

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-25.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,989 $1,989

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-2.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,953 $3,953

$987 ₡443.6K

300.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

8.62

-25.06%

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

Last update for Pocatello, ID: 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

Pocatello, ID

$874 45%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 7.9% $69

Groceries & Markets

Pocatello, ID

$349 18%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 15.5% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pocatello, ID

$280 14.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 32.1% $90

Eating Out

Pocatello, ID

$252 13%

San Jose

$232 11% 7.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Pocatello, ID

$110 5.7%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 57.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Pocatello, ID

$64 3.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 32.2% $21

Getting Around

Pocatello, ID

$14 * 0.7%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 490% $67

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 $1,117 in Pocatello, ID and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pocatello, ID pays about 4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49 in Pocatello, ID vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $403 per month, with Pocatello, ID cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Pocatello, ID

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

1 h ahead of Pocatello, ID

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,320

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

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Highest

Between locations

Pocatello, ID San Jose 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Pocatello, ID
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

Pocatello, ID vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pocatello, ID is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Pocatello, ID is about 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: $1,117 in Pocatello, ID versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $485 in Pocatello, ID 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 Pocatello, ID – a meal for two runs $49 versus $62 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Pocatello, ID gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.