Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Apple Valley, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Apple Valley, CA: $1,252 a month against $1,924 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Apple Valley, CA
Learn more

Apple Valley, CA Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Apple Valley, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,252

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Apple Valley, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,924 in San Jose versus $1,252 in Apple Valley, CA.

San Jose $1,924
Apple Valley, CA $1,252

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,926 in San Jose versus $1,916 in Apple Valley, CA.

San Jose $2,926
Apple Valley, CA $1,916

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,929 in San Jose versus $2,580 in Apple Valley, CA.

San Jose $3,929
Apple Valley, CA $2,580

Living in San Jose is roughly 54% more expensive than in Apple Valley, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Jose is 42% above, Apple Valley, CA is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,513

$19.67 $19.67

-37.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡27.9K

$47.18 $47.18

31.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 ₡5,171

$9.95 $9.95

15.88%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,953

$5.05 $5.05

-13.86%

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

$2.64 ₡1,183

$2.43 $2.43

8.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡836

$1.54 $1.54

20.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,490

$4.93 $4.93

-32.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,026

$5.89 $5.89

-23.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$0.89 $0.89

168.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,381

$3.89 $3.89

-20.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.92 $2.92

-14.38%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,562

$2.04 $2.04

70.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,815

$14.08 $14.08

-23.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,629

$13.93 $13.93

-25.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,325

$12.27 $12.27

14.91%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,256

$4.83 $4.83

4.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$2.17 $2.17

-26.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 ₡2,171

$4.50 $4.50

7.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,776

$4.85 $4.85

-18.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,684

$4.63 $4.63

-18.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$4.21 $4.21

-11.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡485

$2.08 $2.08

-48.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,456

$2.22 $2.22

46.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,627

$11.02 $11.02

-46.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 ₡9,095

$13.36 $13.36

51.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.64 $1.64

76.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ₡1,673

$2.68 $2.68

39.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$3.50 $3.50

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

$1.90 $1.90

-14.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

$23.66 $23.66

-63.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡709

$1.38 $1.38

14.49%

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

$33.6K ₡15.1M

$29.4K $29.4K

14.28%

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

$41.7K ₡18.7M

$26.2K $26.2K

59.26%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$250 $250

-62.60%

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

$35.42 ₡15.9K

$80.8 $80.8

-56.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡26.9K

$66.1 $66.1

-9.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,471

$12.15 $12.15

-36.30%

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

$1,005 ₡450.9K

$548 $548

83.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$8,552 $8,552

97.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 ₡32.8K

$31.64 $31.64

130.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$34.39 $34.39

61.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$70.6 $70.6

81.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.5K

$140 $140

-6.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ₡418.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡340.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ₡821.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

$5,239 $5,239

-80.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.25

283.11%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Last update for Apple Valley, CA: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$760 39.5%

Apple Valley, CA

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 21%

Apple Valley, CA

$393 31.4% 2.5% $9.9

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.9%

Apple Valley, CA

$300 24% 31.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Apple Valley, CA

$397 31.7% 110% $208

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9.1%

Apple Valley, CA

$124 9.9% 28.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Apple Valley, CA

$24 * 1.9% 72.4% $64

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.2%

Apple Valley, CA

$13 * 1% 83.8% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

Apple Valley, CA pays 409% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in San Jose vs $47.00 in Apple Valley, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $393 per month, with Apple Valley, CA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Apple Valley, CA

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

50,109

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

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

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Apple Valley, CA 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Apple Valley, CA

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 Jose vs Apple Valley, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Apple Valley, CA is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 54% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 409% lower in Apple Valley, CA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $1,005 in San Jose versus $548 in Apple Valley, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Apple Valley, CA – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $62.0 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,252 in Apple Valley, CA versus $1,924 in San Jose, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Apple Valley, CA but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Apple Valley, CA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Apple Valley, CA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.