Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San José and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $48,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index
239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San José and in New York, NY

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San José and in New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $913 per month in San José vs $4,938 in New York, NY, rent included.

San José $913
New York, NY $4,938

A couple spends around $1,449 per month in San José vs $7,273 in New York, NY, rent included.

San José $1,449
New York, NY $7,273

A family of three spends $1,985 per month in San José vs $9,608 in New York, NY, rent included.

San José $1,985
New York, NY $9,608

San José is about 82% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San José sits 33% below the global median, while New York, NY is 264% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.95 UYU 520

$24.99 $24.99

-48.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.87 UYU 1,761

$120 $120

-63.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.82 UYU 555

$13.74 $13.74

0.58%

Cappuccino

$4.88 UYU 196

$6.60 $6.60

-26.06%

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

$2.38 UYU 95.6

$3.82 $3.82

-37.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 UYU 87.9

$2.87 $2.87

-23.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 UYU 117

$7.95 $7.95

-63.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 UYU 140

$10.06 $10.06

-65.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 UYU 39.77

$1.37 $1.37

-27.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 UYU 80.7

$4.75 $4.75

-57.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 UYU 59.0

$7.69 $7.69

-80.88%

Eggs

$2.62 UYU 105

$5.87 $5.87

-55.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 UYU 482

$19.25 $19.25

-37.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 UYU 291

$17.83 $17.83

-59.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 484

$19.03 $19.03

-36.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 UYU 48.77

$6.69 $6.69

-81.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.8

$2.29 $2.29

-32.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 UYU 48.71

$6.41 $6.41

-81.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.7

$6.75 $6.75

-77.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 UYU 39.49

$3.93 $3.93

-75.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 UYU 51.5

$4.52 $4.52

-71.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 UYU 59.7

$2.79 $2.79

-46.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 UYU 79.9

$2.51 $2.51

-20.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.82 UYU 394

$18.10 $18.10

-45.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.17 UYU 328

$20.16 $20.16

-59.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 UYU 123

$3.26 $3.26

-6.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 UYU 135

$3.75 $3.75

-10.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 UYU 141

$3.06 $3.06

14.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 UYU 139

$2.16 $2.16

59.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 UYU 399

$41.33 $41.33

-75.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 UYU 86.3

$1.12 $1.12

91.96%

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

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

$33.1K $33.1K

9.92%

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

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

$25.7K $25.7K

55.73%

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

$113 UYU 4,547

$219 $219

-48.34%

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

$23.78 UYU 955

$75.3 $75.3

-68.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.11 UYU 1,891

$70.5 $70.5

-33.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

Cinema Ticket

$12.35 UYU 496

$21.37 $21.37

-42.21%

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

$494 UYU 19.8K

$3,432 $3,432

-85.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

$61.7K $61.7K

-89.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 UYU 3,542

$74.9 $74.9

17.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 UYU 1,508

$52.1 $52.1

-27.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 UYU 6,601

$117 $117

40.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 UYU 4,699

$135 $135

-13.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

-27.01%

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

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San José

$256 28.1%

New York, NY

$552 11.2% 115% $296

Eating Out

San José

$243 26.7%

New York, NY

$407 8.2% 67.2% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San José

$184 20.2%

New York, NY

$365 7.4% 98.2% $181

Clothing & Footwear

San José

$183 20.1%

New York, NY

$170 3.5% 7.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

San José

$25 * 2.7%

New York, NY

$158 3.2% 541% $134

Getting Around

San José

$21 * 2.3%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 710% $147

Accommodation & Living

San José

- * 0%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in San José versus $120 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $552 – making San José the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 San José

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

17:36 5:36 PM

1 h behind San José

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,747

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San José New York, NY 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

San José
New York, NY

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

San José vs New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 441% more than San José, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,369 per month in San José and $7,407 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $913 in San José and $4,938 in New York, NY. That's a gap of about 441%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in San José and $3,432 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San José, where all-in costs run around $913, than in New York, NY at $4,938. In San José it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San José costs $913 versus $4,938 in New York, NY. 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 José. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.