Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Charles, IL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,710 in Saint Charles, IL, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Saint Charles, IL
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Saint Charles, IL Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Saint Charles, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,710

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,710 per month in Saint Charles, IL vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Saint Charles, IL $2,710
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $4,230 per month in Saint Charles, IL vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Saint Charles, IL $4,230
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $5,749 per month in Saint Charles, IL vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Saint Charles, IL $5,749
San Jose $3,929

Saint Charles, IL costs about 41% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saint Charles, IL and San Jose sit above the global median – Saint Charles, IL by 100%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$38.02 $38.02

$12.29 ₡5,513

209.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 $99.6

$62.3 ₡27.9K

60.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 $10.63

$11.53 ₡5,171

-7.81%

Cappuccino

$6.85 $6.85

$4.35 ₡1,953

57.47%

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

$3.37 $3.37

$2.64 ₡1,183

27.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.86 ₡836

65.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 $7.03

$3.32 ₡1,490

111.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.54 $7.54

$4.52 ₡2,026

66.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.39 ₡1,073

-59.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.08 ₡1,381

15.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.50 ₡1,119

69.20%

Eggs

$4.57 $4.57

$3.48 ₡1,562

31.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 $12.33

$10.74 ₡4,815

14.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

$10.32 ₡4,629

11.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.85 $12.85

$14.10 ₡6,325

-8.87%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$5.03 ₡2,256

0.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.59 ₡714

-36.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.84 ₡2,171

-10.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.96 ₡1,776

20.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.76 ₡1,684

-26.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.73 ₡1,674

-18.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.08 ₡485

45.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.25 ₡1,456

-31.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.41 $11.41

$5.86 ₡2,627

94.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$20.28 ₡9,095

-25.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.90 ₡1,300

-33.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.73 ₡1,673

-7.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.08 ₡486

87.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.50 ₡1,123

29.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.63 ₡732

0.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.52 $32.52

$8.71 ₡3,904

273.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.58 ₡709

-37.34%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-22.63%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-37.44%

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)

$66.6 $66.6

$35.42 ₡15.9K

88.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.9 $70.9

$60.0 ₡26.9K

18.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.09 $43.09

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-40.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$7.74 ₡3,471

90.44%

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

$1,358 $1,358

$1,005 ₡450.9K

35.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K $26.2K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

55.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 $51.1

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-30.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 $39.30

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-29.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 $75.7

$128 ₡57.5K

-40.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$130 ₡58.5K

0.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 $1,800

$932 ₡418.0K

93.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 $1,277

$760 ₡340.8K

68.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 $2,543

$1,922 ₡862.0K

32.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,472 $2,472

$1,276 ₡572.1K

93.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,065 $3,065

$2,301 ₡1.0M

33.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,620 $2,620

$1,833 ₡821.9K

42.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

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 Saint Charles, IL: 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

Saint Charles, IL

$1.3K 47.1%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 40.5% $517

Eating Out

Saint Charles, IL

$494 18.2%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 53.7% $265

Groceries & Markets

Saint Charles, IL

$380 14%

San Jose

$403 21% 6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Charles, IL

$333 12.3%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 43.2% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Charles, IL

$134 4.9%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 30.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Charles, IL

$73 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 21.4% $16

Getting Around

Saint Charles, IL

$20 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 313% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,800 in Saint Charles, IL 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Saint Charles, IL versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $380 in Saint Charles, IL vs $403 in San Jose – so Saint Charles, IL wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Charles, IL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

1 h behind Saint Charles, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,329

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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Between locations

Saint Charles, IL San Jose 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Charles, IL
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

Saint Charles, IL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint Charles, IL costs about 41% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,065 per month in Saint Charles, IL 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,710 in Saint Charles, IL and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 41%.

Kindergarten costs $1,358 per month in Saint Charles, IL and $1,005 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Saint Charles, IL at $2,710. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Charles, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $1,924 versus $2,710 in Saint Charles, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Saint Charles, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.