Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salem, MA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,577 in Salem, MA, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Salem, MA
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Salem, MA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Salem, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,577

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,577 in Salem, MA versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Salem, MA $3,577
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,992 in Salem, MA versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Salem, MA $4,992
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,408 in Salem, MA versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Salem, MA $6,408
San Jose $4,054

Living in Salem, MA is roughly 70% 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: Salem, MA 165% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$12.37 ₡5,563

102.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$62.4 ₡28.0K

62.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 $10.82

$11.71 ₡5,264

-7.60%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$4.54 ₡2,040

13.22%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$2.75 ₡1,238

-8.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.86 ₡837

14.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.17 $8.17

$3.35 ₡1,505

143.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 $6.79

$4.32 ₡1,944

57.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.36 ₡1,061

-46.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.07 ₡1,379

14.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.51 ₡1,128

78.49%

Eggs

$4.36 $4.36

$3.53 ₡1,585

23.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 $12.56

$10.54 ₡4,738

19.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.82 $11.82

$10.57 ₡4,754

11.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.06 $17.06

$13.92 ₡6,261

22.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$5.20 ₡2,338

-10.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.65 ₡740

1.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$4.89 ₡2,198

-14.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.84 ₡1,728

20.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.91 ₡1,757

-26.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.76 ₡1,692

-21.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.12 ₡504

126.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.22 ₡1,447

-30.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.69 $9.69

$6.02 ₡2,706

60.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.81 ₡1,264

-25.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$3.65 ₡1,643

-6.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.08 ₡487

77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.6 $59.6

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-8.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.26 ₡1,018

34.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.78 ₡799

-3.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.49 $33.49

$7.90 ₡3,551

323.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.50 ₡673

-45.33%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-17.44%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-29.25%

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

$201 $201

$93.2 ₡41.9K

115.27%

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

$57.2 $57.2

$36.13 ₡16.2K

58.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.7 $65.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

8.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.74 $41.74

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-39.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.47 $14.47

$7.67 ₡3,449

88.66%

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

$1,374 $1,374

$972 ₡436.9K

41.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K $21.6K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

14.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.6 $83.6

$70.6 ₡31.8K

18.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.8 $57.8

$56.7 ₡25.5K

1.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 $98.9

$129 ₡57.8K

-23.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 $98.7

$131 ₡58.8K

-24.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,342 $2,342

$1,170 ₡525.9K

100.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 $2,181

$943 ₡424.1K

131.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,960 $3,960

$1,984 ₡892.0K

99.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,207 $3,207

$1,400 ₡629.5K

129.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,795 $2,795

$2,681 ₡1.2M

4.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,325 $2,325

$2,037 ₡915.8K

14.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,641 $9,641

$987 ₡443.6K

877.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.62

-23.55%

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

Last update for Salem, MA: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salem, MA

$2.2K 61%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 56.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Salem, MA

$403 11.3%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 0% $0.1

Eating Out

Salem, MA

$367 10.3%

San Jose

$232 11% 36.7% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salem, MA

$323 9%

San Jose

$190 9% 41.3% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Salem, MA

$153 4.3%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 14.1% $21

Getting Around

Salem, MA

$79 2.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 2.3% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Salem, MA

$71 2%

San Jose

$84 4% 19.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,342 in Salem, MA and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salem, MA pays about 9.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $102 in Salem, MA vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $403, with Salem, MA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Salem, MA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

08:55 8:55 AM

1 h behind Salem, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,469

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Salem, MA San Jose 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Salem, MA
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

Salem, MA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Salem, MA. 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 Salem, MA is about 9.8 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: $2,342 in Salem, MA versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,374 in Salem, MA versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $102 in Salem, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,577 in Salem, MA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Salem, MA. 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, Salem, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.