Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rochester, MN and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,512 in Rochester, MN, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rochester, MN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Rochester, MN
Learn more

Rochester, MN Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Rochester, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,512

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,512 in Rochester, MN versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Rochester, MN $2,512
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,838 in Rochester, MN versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Rochester, MN $3,838
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,164 in Rochester, MN versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Rochester, MN $5,164
San Jose $3,929

Living in Rochester, MN is roughly 31% 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: Rochester, MN 85% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 $19.97

$12.29 ₡5,513

62.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 $73.6

$62.3 ₡27.9K

18.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 $11.06

$11.53 ₡5,171

-4.08%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$4.35 ₡1,953

34.02%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$2.64 ₡1,183

6.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.86 ₡836

32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.32 ₡1,490

51.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 $5.67

$4.52 ₡2,026

25.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.39 ₡1,073

-64.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.08 ₡1,381

-6.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.50 ₡1,119

30.40%

Eggs

$3.65 $3.65

$3.48 ₡1,562

4.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 $9.31

$10.74 ₡4,815

-13.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.22 $12.22

$10.32 ₡4,629

18.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.90 $18.90

$14.10 ₡6,325

34.04%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$5.03 ₡2,256

3.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.59 ₡714

-5.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$4.84 ₡2,171

-11.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$3.96 ₡1,776

-3.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.76 ₡1,684

-42.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.73 ₡1,674

-3.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.08 ₡485

151.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.25 ₡1,456

-10.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.83 $9.83

$5.86 ₡2,627

67.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.15 $15.15

$20.28 ₡9,095

-25.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.73 ₡1,673

-21.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.08 ₡486

83.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.25 $42.25

$65.5 ₡29.4K

-35.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.50 ₡1,123

-19.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.63 ₡732

-22.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.82 $19.82

$8.71 ₡3,904

127.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.58 ₡709

-45.57%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-19.00%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-38.19%

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

$169 $169

$93.7 ₡42.0K

80.95%

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

$47.11 $47.11

$35.42 ₡15.9K

33.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.05 $44.05

$60.0 ₡26.9K

-26.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 $53.2

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-26.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.18 $20.18

$25.83 ₡11.6K

-21.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 $10.09

$7.74 ₡3,471

30.36%

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

$1,352 $1,352

$1,005 ₡450.9K

34.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-29.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 $62.4

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-14.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.7 $62.7

$55.4 ₡24.9K

13.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 $73.9

$128 ₡57.5K

-42.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 $86.4

$130 ₡58.5K

-33.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 $1,645

$932 ₡418.0K

76.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 $1,284

$760 ₡340.8K

68.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 $2,035

$1,922 ₡862.0K

5.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 $2,380

$1,276 ₡572.1K

86.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,165 $2,165

$2,301 ₡1.0M

-5.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,961 $1,961

$1,833 ₡821.9K

7.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,617 $4,617

$1,029 ₡461.3K

348.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Rochester, MN: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rochester, MN

$1.3K 51.1%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 40.8% $524

Groceries & Markets

Rochester, MN

$386 15.4%

San Jose

$403 21% 4.4% $17

Eating Out

Rochester, MN

$321 12.8%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 28.6% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rochester, MN

$261 10.4%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 27.5% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Rochester, MN

$128 5.1%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 35.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Rochester, MN

$73 2.9%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 20.1% $15

Getting Around

Rochester, MN

$59 2.3%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 37.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,645 in Rochester, MN and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rochester, MN pays 349% 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: $74.0 in Rochester, MN vs $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $403, with Rochester, MN cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rochester, MN

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

06:24 6:24 AM

1 h behind Rochester, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

211,328

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rochester, MN San Jose 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Rochester, MN
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

Rochester, MN vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Rochester, MN. 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 runs 349% higher in Rochester, MN, 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: $1,645 in Rochester, MN versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rochester, MN pay roughly 4% 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 $62.0 versus $74.0 in Rochester, MN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,512 in Rochester, MN, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Rochester, MN. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Jose delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,924 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Jose hard to pass up.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Rochester, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.