Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roma, TX and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,590 in Roma, TX, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Roma, TX
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Roma, TX Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Roma, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,590

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,590 per month in Roma, TX vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Roma, TX $2,590
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,815 per month in Roma, TX vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Roma, TX $3,815
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $5,040 per month in Roma, TX vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Roma, TX $5,040
San Jose $3,929

Roma, TX costs about 35% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Roma, TX and San Jose sit above the global median – Roma, TX by 91%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.08 $20.08

$12.29 ₡5,513

63.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 $76.0

$62.3 ₡27.9K

22.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 $11.71

$11.53 ₡5,171

1.56%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$4.35 ₡1,953

22.99%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$2.64 ₡1,183

1.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.86 ₡836

4.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 $6.03

$3.32 ₡1,490

81.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 $7.16

$4.52 ₡2,026

58.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.39 ₡1,073

-58.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$3.08 ₡1,381

12.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.50 ₡1,119

77.20%

Eggs

$4.24 $4.24

$3.48 ₡1,562

21.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$10.74 ₡4,815

16.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.37 $11.37

$10.32 ₡4,629

10.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.81 $16.81

$14.10 ₡6,325

19.22%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$5.03 ₡2,256

0.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.59 ₡714

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$4.84 ₡2,171

-8.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$3.96 ₡1,776

19.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.76 ₡1,684

-26.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.73 ₡1,674

-21.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.08 ₡485

104.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$3.25 ₡1,456

-28.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.77 $9.77

$5.86 ₡2,627

66.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.82 $14.82

$20.28 ₡9,095

-26.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.90 ₡1,300

-31.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 $3.31

$3.73 ₡1,673

-11.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.08 ₡486

84.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.19 $26.19

$65.5 ₡29.4K

-60.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.50 ₡1,123

26.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.63 ₡732

4.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.20 $32.20

$8.71 ₡3,904

269.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.58 ₡709

-38.61%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-18.23%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-37.85%

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

$195 $195

$93.7 ₡42.0K

108.67%

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

$58.3 $58.3

$35.42 ₡15.9K

64.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.8 $70.8

$60.0 ₡26.9K

18.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.25 $42.25

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-41.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.19 $20.19

$25.83 ₡11.6K

-21.84%

Cinema Ticket

$14.32 $14.32

$7.74 ₡3,471

85.01%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$1,005 ₡450.9K

45.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K $21.9K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

29.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 $53.2

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-27.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 $40.88

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-26.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 $89.8

$128 ₡57.5K

-29.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$130 ₡58.5K

-11.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,625 $1,625

$932 ₡418.0K

74.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 $1,294

$760 ₡340.8K

70.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,473 $2,473

$1,922 ₡862.0K

28.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,158 $2,158

$1,276 ₡572.1K

69.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,728 $2,728

$2,301 ₡1.0M

18.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,377 $2,377

$1,833 ₡821.9K

29.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,310 $1,310

$1,029 ₡461.3K

27.33%

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 Roma, TX: October 18, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Roma, TX

$1.3K 50%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 41.3% $534

Groceries & Markets

Roma, TX

$397 15.3%

San Jose

$403 21% 1.5% $5.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roma, TX

$325 12.5%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 41.7% $135

Eating Out

Roma, TX

$323 12.5%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 29.2% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Roma, TX

$135 5.2%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 29.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Roma, TX

$71 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 24.2% $17

Getting Around

Roma, TX

$46 1.8%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 75.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,625 in Roma, TX versus $932 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Roma, TX, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Roma, TX versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $397 in Roma, TX vs $403 in San Jose – so Roma, TX wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Roma, TX

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

15:28 3:28 PM

1 h behind Roma, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,561

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Roma, TX San Jose 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Roma, TX
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

Roma, TX vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Roma, TX is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,885 per month in Roma, TX and $2,886 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Roma, TX and $62.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,590 in Roma, TX and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 35%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Roma, TX at $2,590. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Roma, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Roma, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.