Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Arlington, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,803 in Arlington, WA, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, WA
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Arlington, WA Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Arlington, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Arlington, WA

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 Arlington, WA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,803 in Arlington, WA.

San Jose $1,938
Arlington, WA $2,803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,936 in San Jose versus $4,283 in Arlington, WA.

San Jose $2,936
Arlington, WA $4,283

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,934 in San Jose versus $5,763 in Arlington, WA.

San Jose $3,934
Arlington, WA $5,763

Living in San Jose costs roughly 31% less than in Arlington, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 44% above, Arlington, WA 108% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$24.98 $24.98

-50.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$101 $101

-39.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$14.24 $14.24

-19.59%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$5.88 $5.88

-25.34%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$3.04 $3.04

-11.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$3.03 $3.03

-36.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$7.16 $7.16

-55.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$6.81 $6.81

-35.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.03 $1.03

136.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$3.66 $3.66

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$4.19 $4.19

-42.48%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$3.94 $3.94

-13.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$13.98 $13.98

-23.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$13.33 $13.33

-21.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$23.00 $23.00

-39.17%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$5.30 $5.30

-0.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.90 $1.90

-16.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$4.21 $4.21

11.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$4.92 $4.92

-19.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$2.02 $2.02

94.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$2.40 $2.40

53.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.77 $2.77

-59.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$2.50 $2.50

27.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$12.72 $12.72

-52.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$14.77 $14.77

32.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$1.98 $1.98

42.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$4.39 $4.39

-18.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.62 $2.62

-4.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.71 $1.71

-4.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$29.78 $29.78

-71.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.36 $1.36

14.71%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$36.1K $36.1K

-37.90%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$25.2K $25.2K

41.28%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$293 $293

-67.46%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$69.9 $69.9

-49.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$89.2 $89.2

-34.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$33.54 $33.54

116.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$16.84 $16.84

-54.99%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$2,983 $2,983

-66.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$30.9K $30.9K

-44.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$50.9 $50.9

38.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$54.5 $54.5

2.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$100 $100

29.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$135 $135

-2.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$1,522 $1,522

-39.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$1,297 $1,297

-40.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$2,826 $2,826

-30.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$2,454 $2,454

-47.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

$5,858 $5,858

-82.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.81

26.58%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arlington, WA: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Arlington, WA

$1.3K 46.3% 67.5% $522

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Arlington, WA

$436 15.6% 8.8% $35

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Arlington, WA

$387 13.8% 68.7% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Arlington, WA

$452 16.1% 138% $262

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Arlington, WA

$153 5.5% 12.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Arlington, WA

$67 2.4% 23.5% $21

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Arlington, WA

$11 * 0.4% 86.4% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $927 in San Jose and $1,522 in Arlington, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, WA pays 476% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in San Jose vs $101 in Arlington, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $436 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Arlington, WA

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

00:01 12:01 AM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

365,438

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Arlington, WA 5,540 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Arlington, WA

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 Arlington, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose and Arlington, WA differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($1,938 vs $2,803 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 476% lower in Arlington, WA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $927 in San Jose versus $1,522 in Arlington, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Arlington, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,938 per month in San Jose versus $2,803 in Arlington, WA – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,803 in Arlington, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Arlington, WA. 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Arlington, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.