Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth, OH and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Portsmouth, OH: $1,884 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Jose outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth, OH
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Portsmouth, OH Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Portsmouth, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$1,884

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,884 in Portsmouth, OH versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Portsmouth, OH $1,884
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,629 in Portsmouth, OH versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Portsmouth, OH $2,629
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,374 in Portsmouth, OH versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Portsmouth, OH $3,374
San Jose $4,054

Living in Portsmouth, OH costs roughly 11% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Portsmouth, OH 39% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.24 $14.24

$12.37 ₡5,563

15.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.58 $39.58

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-36.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.89 $7.89

$11.71 ₡5,264

-32.62%

Cappuccino

$4.06 $4.06

$4.54 ₡2,040

-10.57%

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

$2.15 $2.15

$2.75 ₡1,238

-21.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.86 ₡837

-15.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.85 $9.85

$3.35 ₡1,505

194.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.10 $12.10

$4.32 ₡1,944

180.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$2.36 ₡1,061

-68.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.07 ₡1,379

-8.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.51 ₡1,128

51.00%

Eggs

$2.28 $2.28

$3.53 ₡1,585

-35.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 $11.13

$10.54 ₡4,738

5.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.28 $24.28

$10.57 ₡4,754

129.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.54 $9.54

$13.92 ₡6,261

-31.47%

Apples (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$5.20 ₡2,338

14.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.65 ₡740

18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.22 $7.22

$4.89 ₡2,198

47.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$3.84 ₡1,728

40.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.91 ₡1,757

-32.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 $1.76

$3.76 ₡1,692

-53.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.12 ₡504

29.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.22 ₡1,447

-13.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.09 $10.09

$6.02 ₡2,706

67.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.52 $19.52

$19.84 ₡8,919

-1.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.81 ₡1,264

-37.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.65 ₡1,643

64.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.08 ₡487

61.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.9 $62.9

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-3.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.26 ₡1,018

30.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.78 ₡799

-8.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.08 $32.08

$7.90 ₡3,551

306.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.50 ₡673

-50.00%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.33%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.75%

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

$207 $207

$93.2 ₡41.9K

122.65%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$36.13 ₡16.2K

43.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.5 $58.5

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-3.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.11 $44.11

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-36.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.51 $14.51

$7.67 ₡3,449

89.18%

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

$539 $539

$972 ₡436.9K

-44.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K $10.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-42.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.39 $30.39

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-56.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.18 $25.18

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-55.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.3 $57.3

$129 ₡57.8K

-55.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$131 ₡58.8K

-7.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 $586

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-49.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 $580

$943 ₡424.1K

-38.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$759 $759

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-61.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$697 $697

$1,400 ₡629.5K

-50.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,801 $2,801

$2,681 ₡1.2M

4.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,485 $2,485

$2,037 ₡915.8K

22.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,583 $1,583

$987 ₡443.6K

60.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

8.62

-21.81%

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

Last update for Portsmouth, OH: 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

Portsmouth, OH

$580 30.8%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 62.5% $363

Groceries & Markets

Portsmouth, OH

$451 24%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 10.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portsmouth, OH

$318 16.9%

San Jose

$190 9% 40.3% $128

Eating Out

Portsmouth, OH

$275 14.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 15.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Portsmouth, OH

$105 5.6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 65.1% $69

Getting Around

Portsmouth, OH

$81 4.3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 0.3% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Portsmouth, OH

$73 3.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 15.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $586 in Portsmouth, OH and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portsmouth, OH pays 60% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40 in Portsmouth, OH vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $451 vs $403, with San Jose cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Portsmouth, OH

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

1 h behind Portsmouth, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,535

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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Between locations

Portsmouth, OH San Jose 3,200 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Portsmouth, OH
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

Portsmouth, OH vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portsmouth, OH is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 60% higher in Portsmouth, OH, 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: $586 in Portsmouth, OH versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,884 per month in Portsmouth, OH versus $2,107 in San Jose – Portsmouth, OH is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Portsmouth, OH runs roughly 4% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Portsmouth, OH 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.