Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pomona, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,738 in Pomona, CA, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Pomona, CA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

134

Cost of Living Index in Pomona, CA
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Pomona, CA Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Pomona, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,738

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,738 in Pomona, CA versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Pomona, CA $2,738
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,227 in Pomona, CA versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Pomona, CA $4,227
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,717 in Pomona, CA versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Pomona, CA $5,717
San Jose $3,934

Living in Pomona, CA is roughly 41% 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: Pomona, CA 103% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.14 $27.14

$12.38 ₡5,551

119.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 $74.5

$60.9 ₡27.3K

22.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 $9.91

$11.45 ₡5,135

-13.45%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$4.39 ₡1,967

26.88%

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

$1.72 $1.72

$2.70 ₡1,211

-36.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.93 ₡864

-36.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.20 ₡1,433

58.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 $5.71

$4.41 ₡1,979

29.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.44 ₡1,093

-45.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.05 ₡1,369

30.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.41 ₡1,081

19.09%

Eggs

$3.08 $3.08

$3.40 ₡1,523

-9.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 $13.92

$10.75 ₡4,823

29.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.26 $13.26

$10.43 ₡4,679

27.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.37 $12.37

$13.99 ₡6,273

-11.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$5.25 ₡2,353

-35.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.59 ₡712

-15.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$4.69 ₡2,103

-52.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$3.95 ₡1,770

-46.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$3.92 ₡1,760

-54.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$3.68 ₡1,651

-52.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.12 ₡503

4.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$3.19 ₡1,429

-46.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.11 $11.11

$6.00 ₡2,692

85.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 $13.42

$19.56 ₡8,771

-31.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.82 ₡1,263

-43.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.59 ₡1,611

-25.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.12 ₡503

108.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.89 $18.89

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-71.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.50 ₡1,119

36.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.63 ₡733

12.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.63 $23.63

$8.50 ₡3,812

178.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.56 ₡701

-12.18%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

32.83%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-28.38%

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

$243 $243

$95.2 ₡42.7K

154.95%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$35.58 ₡16.0K

68.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.83 $48.83

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-16.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.04 $20.04

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-72.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.69 $40.69

$24.85 ₡11.1K

63.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.91 $11.91

$7.58 ₡3,401

57.12%

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

$544 $544

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-45.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,403 $8,403

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-50.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.96 $30.96

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-56.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.25 $34.25

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-38.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 $71.8

$130 ₡58.2K

-44.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 $90.9

$131 ₡58.7K

-30.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 $1,925

$927 ₡415.8K

107.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 $1,496

$774 ₡347.2K

93.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,439 $3,439

$1,967 ₡882.0K

74.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 $2,959

$1,288 ₡577.6K

129.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.1K $19.1K

$2,274 ₡1.0M

738.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,544 $4,544

$1,831 ₡821.0K

148.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,693 $3,693

$1,016 ₡455.8K

263.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

8.62

-24.59%

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

Last update for Pomona, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pomona, CA

$1.5K 54.6%

San Jose

$774 40% 48.2% $721

Eating Out

Pomona, CA

$362 13.2%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 36.7% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pomona, CA

$351 12.8%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 46.1% $162

Groceries & Markets

Pomona, CA

$341 12.5%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 17.6% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Pomona, CA

$103 3.8%

San Jose

$174 9% 69.8% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Pomona, CA

$44 1.6%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 100% $44

Getting Around

Pomona, CA

$41 1.5%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 101% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,925 in Pomona, CA and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pomona, CA pays 263% 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: $75.0 in Pomona, CA vs $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $341 vs $401, with Pomona, CA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Pomona, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

16:51 4:51 PM

1 h ahead of Pomona, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154,271

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pomona, CA San Jose 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Pomona, CA
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

Pomona, CA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pomona, CA and San Jose differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($2,738 vs $1,938 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 263% higher in Pomona, CA, 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: $1,925 in Pomona, CA versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Pomona, CA pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $75.0 in Pomona, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,738 in Pomona, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Pomona, CA. 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Pomona, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.