Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roseville, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $3,515 in Roseville, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Roseville, CA
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Roseville, CA Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Roseville, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,515

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,515 per month in Roseville, CA vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Roseville, CA $3,515
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $5,020 per month in Roseville, CA vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Roseville, CA $5,020
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $6,526 per month in Roseville, CA vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Roseville, CA $6,526
San Jose $3,934

Roseville, CA costs about 81% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Roseville, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Roseville, CA by 160%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.45 $16.45

$12.38 ₡5,551

32.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 $85.3

$60.9 ₡27.3K

40.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 $11.77

$11.45 ₡5,135

2.79%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$4.39 ₡1,967

27.56%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$2.70 ₡1,211

14.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.93 ₡864

19.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.20 $7.20

$3.20 ₡1,433

125.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.21 $9.21

$4.41 ₡1,979

108.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.44 ₡1,093

-45.08%

White Bread (500g)

$5.45 $5.45

$3.05 ₡1,369

78.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$11.18 $11.18

$2.41 ₡1,081

363.90%

Eggs

$6.13 $6.13

$3.40 ₡1,523

80.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.21 $14.21

$10.75 ₡4,823

32.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.48 $17.48

$10.43 ₡4,679

67.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.93 $17.93

$13.99 ₡6,273

28.16%

Apples (1kg)

$6.11 $6.11

$5.25 ₡2,353

16.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.59 ₡712

23.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$4.69 ₡2,103

5.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.02 $6.02

$3.95 ₡1,770

52.41%

Potato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.92 ₡1,760

10.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.68 ₡1,651

2.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.12 ₡503

132.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.19 ₡1,429

-9.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.82 $11.82

$6.00 ₡2,692

97.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$19.56 ₡8,771

-23.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.82 ₡1,263

-37.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 $5.95

$3.59 ₡1,611

65.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.12 ₡503

238.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.21 $38.21

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-42.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.50 ₡1,119

96.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.94 $29.94

$8.50 ₡3,812

252.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.56 ₡701

-8.97%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

8.45%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-40.24%

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

$267 $267

$95.2 ₡42.7K

180.89%

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

$63.2 $63.2

$35.58 ₡16.0K

77.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.4 $66.4

$58.6 ₡26.3K

13.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$96.3 $96.3

$72.7 ₡32.6K

32.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.13 $38.13

$24.85 ₡11.1K

53.44%

Cinema Ticket

$15.72 $15.72

$7.58 ₡3,401

107.39%

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

$1,058 $1,058

$1,001 ₡449.0K

5.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K $24.4K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

42.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 $60.7

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-13.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.21 $42.21

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-24.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$130 ₡58.2K

-6.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 $162

$131 ₡58.7K

24.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 $2,035

$927 ₡415.8K

119.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,918 $1,918

$774 ₡347.2K

147.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,216 $3,216

$1,967 ₡882.0K

63.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,011 $3,011

$1,288 ₡577.6K

133.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,941 $3,941

$2,274 ₡1.0M

73.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,979 $3,979

$1,831 ₡821.0K

117.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,372 $5,372

$1,016 ₡455.8K

428.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

8.62

-23.20%

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

Last update for Roseville, CA: October 10, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Roseville, CA

$1.9K 54.6%

San Jose

$774 40% 59.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Roseville, CA

$529 15.1%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 24.2% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roseville, CA

$397 11.3%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 52.3% $208

Eating Out

Roseville, CA

$310 8.8%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 26.1% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Roseville, CA

$174 4.9%

San Jose

$174 9% 0.2% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Roseville, CA

$128 3.6%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 31.2% $40

Getting Around

Roseville, CA

$58 * 1.7%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 40.6% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,035 in Roseville, CA versus $927 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 429% higher in Roseville, CA, 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 $85.0 in Roseville, CA versus $61.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $529 vs $401 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Roseville, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

19:40 7:40 PM

20:40 8:40 PM

1 h ahead of Roseville, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,158

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Between locations

Roseville, CA San Jose 4,890 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Roseville, CA
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

Roseville, CA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,515 in Roseville, CA, $1,938 in San Jose – roughly 81% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,272 per month in Roseville, CA and $2,907 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 $85.0 in Roseville, CA and $61.0 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 $3,515 in Roseville, CA and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 81%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,938, than in Roseville, CA at $3,515. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Roseville, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,938 in San Jose to $3,515 in Roseville, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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