Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Binghamton, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,260 in Binghamton, NY, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Binghamton, NY
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Binghamton, NY Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Binghamton, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,260

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Binghamton, NY

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 Binghamton, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,260 in Binghamton, NY.

San Jose $2,107
Binghamton, NY $2,260

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $3,452 in Binghamton, NY.

San Jose $3,081
Binghamton, NY $3,452

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $4,644 in Binghamton, NY.

San Jose $4,054
Binghamton, NY $4,644

Living in San Jose costs roughly 7% less than in Binghamton, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, Binghamton, NY 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,546

$15.91 $15.91

-22.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$49.96 $49.96

24.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,248

$10.95 $10.95

6.94%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,034

$5.39 $5.39

-15.77%

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

$2.75 ₡1,234

$2.22 $2.22

23.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡835

$1.55 $1.55

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,501

$4.95 $4.95

-32.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,938

$6.12 $6.12

-29.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,057

$0.97 $0.97

143.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,375

$3.95 $3.95

-22.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,124

$4.38 $4.38

-42.69%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,580

$4.33 $4.33

-18.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,724

$12.66 $12.66

-16.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,740

$14.21 $14.21

-25.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,242

$17.57 $17.57

-20.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,331

$5.45 $5.45

-4.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡738

$1.73 $1.73

-4.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,191

$5.15 $5.15

-5.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,722

$6.01 $6.01

-36.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,752

$3.92 $3.92

-0.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,687

$3.64 $3.64

3.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.33 $2.33

-51.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,443

$2.84 $2.84

13.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,698

$11.44 $11.44

-47.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,892

$14.85 $14.85

33.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,261

$1.70 $1.70

65.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,638

$4.88 $4.88

-25.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡485

$2.03 $2.03

-46.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.2K

$69.8 $69.8

-6.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,015

$3.03 $3.03

-25.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡797

$1.79 $1.79

-0.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,540

$23.83 $23.83

-66.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡671

$1.04 $1.04

44.23%

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

$33.5K ₡15.0M

$27.9K $27.9K

20.05%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$26.5K $26.5K

59.86%

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

$93.2 ₡41.8K

$211 $211

-55.80%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$65.1 $65.1

-44.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$64.7 $64.7

-6.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡30.9K

$52.4 $52.4

31.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$39.88 $39.88

-37.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,439

$14.76 $14.76

-48.04%

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

$972 ₡435.6K

$1,309 $1,309

-25.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$7,129 $7,129

164.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.7K

$41.98 $41.98

68.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.4K

$56.5 $56.5

0.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.7K

$76.0 $76.0

69.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$145 $145

-9.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡524.3K

$1,319 $1,319

-11.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡422.8K

$882 $882

6.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡889.3K

$1,909 $1,909

3.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡627.6K

$1,703 $1,703

-17.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$1,340 $1,340

100.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡913.0K

$1,332 $1,332

52.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡442.3K

$3,696 $3,696

-73.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.65

29.62%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Binghamton, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Binghamton, NY

$882 39% 6.5% $61

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Binghamton, NY

$444 19.7% 10.4% $42

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Binghamton, NY

$277 12.3% 19.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Binghamton, NY

$341 15.1% 79.3% $151

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Binghamton, NY

$144 6.4% 17.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Binghamton, NY

$82 3.6% 2.8% $2.3

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Binghamton, NY

$90 4% 11.3% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in San Jose and $1,319 in Binghamton, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Binghamton, NY pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $50 in Binghamton, NY. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $444, with San Jose cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Binghamton, NY

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

22:29 10:29 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

47,969

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 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 November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Jose Binghamton, NY 3,660 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Binghamton, 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 Jose vs Binghamton, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in San Jose. 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: $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,319 in Binghamton, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Binghamton, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Binghamton, NY – a meal for two runs $50 versus $62 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though San Jose gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Binghamton, NY on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.