Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port St Lucie, FL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,883 in Port St Lucie, FL, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Port St Lucie, FL
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Port St Lucie, FL Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Port St Lucie, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,883

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Port St Lucie, FL versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Port St Lucie, FL $2,883
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,989 in Port St Lucie, FL versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Port St Lucie, FL $3,989
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,095 in Port St Lucie, FL versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Port St Lucie, FL $5,095
San Jose $4,054

Living in Port St Lucie, FL is roughly 37% 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: Port St Lucie, FL 113% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.79 $20.79

$12.37 ₡5,563

68.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 $79.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

26.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.38 $11.38

$11.71 ₡5,264

-2.82%

Cappuccino

$4.26 $4.26

$4.54 ₡2,040

-6.17%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$2.75 ₡1,238

10.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.86 ₡837

29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 $5.40

$3.35 ₡1,505

61.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 $7.86

$4.32 ₡1,944

81.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.36 ₡1,061

-53.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.07 ₡1,379

22.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.51 ₡1,128

80.48%

Eggs

$3.13 $3.13

$3.53 ₡1,585

-11.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.00 $12.00

$10.54 ₡4,738

13.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.17 $11.17

$10.57 ₡4,754

5.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.16 $17.16

$13.92 ₡6,261

23.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$5.20 ₡2,338

-20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.65 ₡740

12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$4.89 ₡2,198

-56.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$3.84 ₡1,728

-30.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$3.91 ₡1,757

-50.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.76 ₡1,692

-35.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.12 ₡504

133.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$3.22 ₡1,447

-27.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 $9.16

$6.02 ₡2,706

52.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.80 $14.80

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.81 ₡1,264

-37.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 $3.76

$3.65 ₡1,643

3.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.97 $44.97

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-31.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.26 ₡1,018

30.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.78 ₡799

7.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.05 $30.05

$7.90 ₡3,551

280.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.50 ₡673

-36.00%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

9.56%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.67%

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

$200 $200

$93.2 ₡41.9K

114.25%

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

$63.9 $63.9

$36.13 ₡16.2K

76.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.6 $76.6

$60.6 ₡27.2K

26.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.96 $36.96

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-46.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.30 $20.30

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-18.60%

Cinema Ticket

$16.30 $16.30

$7.67 ₡3,449

112.52%

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

$1,609 $1,609

$972 ₡436.9K

65.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K $12.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-32.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 $53.5

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-24.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.63 $38.63

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-31.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 $95.1

$129 ₡57.8K

-26.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.7 $81.7

$131 ₡58.8K

-37.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,951 $1,951

$1,170 ₡525.9K

66.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,607 $1,607

$943 ₡424.1K

70.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,834 $2,834

$1,984 ₡892.0K

42.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 $2,270

$1,400 ₡629.5K

62.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,822 $2,822

$2,681 ₡1.2M

5.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,353 $2,353

$2,037 ₡915.8K

15.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,834 $3,834

$987 ₡443.6K

288.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

8.62

-25.99%

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

Last update for Port St Lucie, FL: 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

Port St Lucie, FL

$1.6K 55.8%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 41.3% $664

Groceries & Markets

Port St Lucie, FL

$372 12.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 8.4% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port St Lucie, FL

$340 11.8%

San Jose

$190 9% 44.2% $150

Eating Out

Port St Lucie, FL

$316 11%

San Jose

$232 11% 26.5% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Port St Lucie, FL

$121 4.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 43.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Port St Lucie, FL

$70 2.4%

San Jose

$84 4% 21.1% $15

Getting Around

Port St Lucie, FL

$57 * 2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 40.4% $23

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 $1,951 in Port St Lucie, FL and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port St Lucie, FL pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Port St Lucie, FL vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $372 vs $403, with Port St Lucie, FL cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Port St Lucie, FL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

23:50 11:50 PM

1 h behind Port St Lucie, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,603

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 = 0.891 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

Port St Lucie, FL San Jose 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Port St Lucie, 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

Port St Lucie, FL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Port St Lucie, FL is about 3.9 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: $1,951 in Port St Lucie, FL versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Port St Lucie, FL runs roughly 31% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,609 in Port St Lucie, FL versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,883 in Port St Lucie, FL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Port St Lucie, FL. 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, Port St Lucie, FL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.