Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Round Rock, TX and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,319 in Round Rock, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Round Rock, TX
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Round Rock, TX Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Round Rock, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,319

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,319 in Round Rock, TX versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Round Rock, TX $2,319
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,459 in Round Rock, TX versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Round Rock, TX $3,459
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,598 in Round Rock, TX versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Round Rock, TX $4,598
San Jose $3,934

Living in Round Rock, TX is roughly 20% 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: Round Rock, TX 72% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.38 $20.38

$12.38 ₡5,551

64.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 $81.1

$60.9 ₡27.3K

33.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$11.45 ₡5,135

5.85%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$4.39 ₡1,967

33.26%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$2.70 ₡1,211

7.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.93 ₡864

25.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.17 $8.17

$3.20 ₡1,433

155.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.25 $9.25

$4.41 ₡1,979

109.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$2.44 ₡1,093

-52.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.05 ₡1,369

18.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.41 ₡1,081

35.68%

Eggs

$3.72 $3.72

$3.40 ₡1,523

9.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.20 $13.20

$10.75 ₡4,823

22.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.05 $14.05

$10.43 ₡4,679

34.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.20 $16.20

$13.99 ₡6,273

15.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$5.25 ₡2,353

-15.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.59 ₡712

Oranges (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$4.69 ₡2,103

-2.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$3.95 ₡1,770

7.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$3.92 ₡1,760

-35.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.68 ₡1,651

-38.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.12 ₡503

58.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$3.19 ₡1,429

-33.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.34 $9.34

$6.00 ₡2,692

55.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 $15.07

$19.56 ₡8,771

-22.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.82 ₡1,263

-26.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.59 ₡1,611

-10.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.50 ₡1,119

11.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.63 ₡733

-3.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.55 $23.55

$8.50 ₡3,812

177.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.56 ₡701

-39.74%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

59.83%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-28.15%

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

$222 $222

$95.2 ₡42.7K

132.71%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$35.58 ₡16.0K

65.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.6 $68.6

$58.6 ₡26.3K

17.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.38 $48.38

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-33.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$14.16 $14.16

$7.58 ₡3,401

86.81%

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

$1,490 $1,490

$1,001 ₡449.0K

48.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

25.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 $59.5

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-15.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.86 $42.86

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-23.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 $87.8

$130 ₡58.2K

-32.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$131 ₡58.7K

-19.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 $1,185

$927 ₡415.8K

27.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 $1,003

$774 ₡347.2K

29.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 $1,799

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-8.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 $1,704

$1,288 ₡577.6K

32.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,733 $2,733

$2,274 ₡1.0M

20.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,789 $2,789

$1,831 ₡821.0K

52.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,652 $4,652

$1,016 ₡455.8K

357.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

8.62

-22.85%

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

Last update for Round Rock, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Round Rock, TX

$1K 43.2%

San Jose

$774 40% 22.8% $229

Groceries & Markets

Round Rock, TX

$397 17.1%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 1.1% $4.3

Eating Out

Round Rock, TX

$350 15.1%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 34.5% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Round Rock, TX

$349 15.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 45.8% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Round Rock, TX

$133 5.7%

San Jose

$174 9% 31% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Round Rock, TX

$77 3.3%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 14.5% $11

Getting Around

Round Rock, TX

$11 * 0.5%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 667% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,185 in Round Rock, TX and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Round Rock, TX pays 358% 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: $81.0 in Round Rock, TX vs $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $397 vs $401, with Round Rock, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Round Rock, TX

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

11:42 11:42 AM

1 h behind Round Rock, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,468

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

Round Rock, TX San Jose 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Round Rock, 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

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

San Jose is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 358% higher in Round Rock, TX, 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: $1,185 in Round Rock, TX versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Round Rock, TX pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,319 per month in Round Rock, TX versus $1,938 in San Jose – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,319 in Round Rock, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Round Rock, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Round Rock, TX, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Round Rock, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.