Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockville, MD and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,249 in Rockville, MD, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Rockville, MD
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Rockville, MD Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Rockville, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,249

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,249 in Rockville, MD versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Rockville, MD $3,249
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,684 in Rockville, MD versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Rockville, MD $4,684
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,119 in Rockville, MD versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Rockville, MD $6,119
San Jose $4,054

Living in Rockville, MD is roughly 54% 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: Rockville, MD 140% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.48 $22.48

$12.37 ₡5,563

81.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 $74.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

18.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.31 $10.31

$11.71 ₡5,264

-11.96%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$4.54 ₡2,040

15.20%

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

$2.41 $2.41

$2.75 ₡1,238

-12.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.86 ₡837

-8.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.91 $6.91

$3.35 ₡1,505

106.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.31 $7.31

$4.32 ₡1,944

69.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.36 ₡1,061

-52.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.07 ₡1,379

0.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.51 ₡1,128

7.57%

Eggs

$3.79 $3.79

$3.53 ₡1,585

7.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.52 $9.52

$10.54 ₡4,738

-9.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 $9.28

$10.57 ₡4,754

-12.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.31 $18.31

$13.92 ₡6,261

31.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$5.20 ₡2,338

-8.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.65 ₡740

-22.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.89 ₡2,198

-10.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$3.84 ₡1,728

4.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.91 ₡1,757

-35.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.76 ₡1,692

-31.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.12 ₡504

139.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$3.22 ₡1,447

-45.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.09 $14.09

$6.02 ₡2,706

134.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 $14.25

$19.84 ₡8,919

-28.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.81 ₡1,264

-12.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$3.65 ₡1,643

-0.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.08 ₡487

184.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 $111

$65.2 ₡29.3K

70.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.26 ₡1,018

74.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.78 ₡799

-11.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.94 $27.94

$7.90 ₡3,551

253.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.50 ₡673

-31.33%

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

$33.7K $33.7K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

0.67%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.01%

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

$293 $293

$93.2 ₡41.9K

213.99%

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

$49.62 $49.62

$36.13 ₡16.2K

37.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 $59.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-2.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.30 $43.30

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-37.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.32 $12.32

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-50.60%

Cinema Ticket

$16.43 $16.43

$7.67 ₡3,449

114.21%

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

$1,923 $1,923

$972 ₡436.9K

97.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.5K $25.5K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

35.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.73 $45.73

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-35.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.55 $39.55

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-30.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 $86.8

$129 ₡57.8K

-32.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$131 ₡58.8K

0.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 $2,180

$1,170 ₡525.9K

86.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 $1,800

$943 ₡424.1K

90.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,774 $3,774

$1,984 ₡892.0K

90.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,037 $3,037

$1,400 ₡629.5K

116.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,300 $4,300

$2,681 ₡1.2M

60.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,961 $2,961

$2,037 ₡915.8K

45.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,132 $6,132

$987 ₡443.6K

521.55%

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 Rockville, MD: November 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rockville, MD

$1.8K 55.4%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 47.6% $857

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockville, MD

$401 12.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 52.7% $211

Groceries & Markets

Rockville, MD

$360 11.1%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 11.9% $43

Eating Out

Rockville, MD

$339 10.4%

San Jose

$232 11% 31.5% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Rockville, MD

$137 4.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 27.3% $37

Getting Around

Rockville, MD

$135 4.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 40.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Rockville, MD

$76 2.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 10.7% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,180 in Rockville, MD and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rockville, MD pays about 6.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Rockville, MD vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $403, with Rockville, MD cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rockville, MD

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

17:01 5:01 PM

1 h behind Rockville, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,139

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rockville, MD San Jose 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Rockville, MD
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

Rockville, MD vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Rockville, MD. 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 in Rockville, MD is about 6.2 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: $2,180 in Rockville, MD versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rockville, MD pay roughly 11% 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 versus $74 in Rockville, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,249 in Rockville, MD, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Rockville, MD. 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, Rockville, MD on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.