Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose, CA and Oakland, CA Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose, CA and Oakland, CA

🙂 Solo nomad: San Jose, CA is 2.2% cheaper than Oakland, CA without rent, and 28.6% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: San Jose, CA is 7.1% cheaper than Oakland, CA without rent, and 13.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.90 $20.90

$29.88 $29.88

-30.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.0 $98.0

$145 $145

-32.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 $11.68

$14.46 $14.46

-19.23%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$4.92 $4.92

18.50%

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

$3.18 $3.18

$2.61 $2.61

21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.26 $2.26

8.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.04 $9.04

$8.19 $8.19

10.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.01 $11.01

$7.89 $7.89

39.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.40 $1.40

2.14%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$5.02 $5.02

-2.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$6.40 $6.40

-50.78%

Eggs

$4.89 $4.89

$6.69 $6.69

-26.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.17 $21.17

$20.76 $20.76

1.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.24 $15.24

$14.78 $14.78

3.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.12 $23.12

$16.93 $16.93

36.56%

Apples (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$7.65 $7.65

-17.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.15 $2.15

12.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$6.22 $6.22

-23.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.70 $6.70

$6.21 $6.21

7.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$4.46 $4.46

-20.63%

Onion (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$3.35 $3.35

28.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.18 $2.18

41.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.06 $3.06

-6.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.42 $11.42

$11.13 $11.13

2.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$11.79 $11.79

29.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.78 $1.78

27.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$4.07 $4.07

-15.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 $2.48

$3.06 $3.06

-18.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 $89.3

$85.8 $85.8

4.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.41 $3.41

0.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$2.46 $2.46

-23.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.48 $30.48

$39.39 $39.39

-22.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.31 $1.31

2.29%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$23.8K $23.8K

24.65%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$25.8K $25.8K

5.75%

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

$294 $294

$276 $276

6.47%

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

$49.10 $49.10

$52.6 $52.6

-6.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$71.2 $71.2

-2.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$122 $122

$55.1 $55.1

120.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.17 $31.17

$13.11 $13.11

137.76%

Cinema Ticket

$15.43 $15.43

$14.37 $14.37

7.38%

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

$2,005 $2,005

$2,786 $2,786

-28.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.4K $26.4K

$38.1K $38.1K

-30.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 $53.1

$64.2 $64.2

-17.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.58 $44.58

$60.9 $60.9

-26.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 $89.0

$95.3 $95.3

-6.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$125 $125

9.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,083 $3,083

$1,975 $1,975

56.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,704 $2,704

$1,684 $1,684

60.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,315 $5,315

$4,508 $4,508

17.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,466 $4,466

$3,536 $3,536

26.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,276 $9,276

$7,698 $7,698

20.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,680 $9,680

$6,354 $6,354

52.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,656 $5,656

$5,161 $5,161

9.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

6.55

-0.61%

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

Last update for San Jose, CA: January 13, 2026

Last update for Oakland, CA: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

Boston, MA

🇺🇸 United States

San Francisco, CA

🇺🇸 United States

Zug

🇨🇭 Switzerland

George Town

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

Maui, HI

🇺🇸 United States

St Thomas

🇻🇮 Us Virgin Islands