Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Brockton, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,758 in Brockton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Brockton, MA
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Brockton, MA Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Brockton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Brockton, MA

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 Brockton, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,758 in Brockton, MA.

San Jose $2,107
Brockton, MA $2,758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $4,009 in Brockton, MA.

San Jose $3,081
Brockton, MA $4,009

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $5,260 in Brockton, MA.

San Jose $4,054
Brockton, MA $5,260

Living in San Jose costs roughly 24% less than in Brockton, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, Brockton, MA 104% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$15.25 $15.25

-18.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$93.8 $93.8

-33.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$7.45 $7.45

57.18%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$5.54 $5.54

-18.05%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.42 $2.42

13.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.47 $1.47

26.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$5.13 $5.13

-34.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$8.06 $8.06

-46.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.05 $1.05

124.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$3.91 $3.91

-21.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$5.36 $5.36

-53.17%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$4.70 $4.70

-24.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$11.50 $11.50

-8.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$14.22 $14.22

-25.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$17.43 $17.43

-20.14%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$6.53 $6.53

-20.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.72 $1.72

-4.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$6.73 $6.73

-27.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$5.44 $5.44

-29.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.75 $2.75

42.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$4.49 $4.49

-16.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.37 $2.37

-52.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$2.04 $2.04

57.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$13.45 $13.45

-55.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$14.28 $14.28

38.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.14 $2.14

31.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.93 $3.93

-7.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.03 $2.03

-46.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$60.9 $60.9

7.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$4.07 $4.07

-44.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$2.54 $2.54

-29.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$39.85 $39.85

-80.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.03 $1.03

45.63%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$27.7K $27.7K

20.82%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$26.7K $26.7K

58.34%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$323 $323

-71.14%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$65.1 $65.1

-44.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$83.8 $83.8

-27.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$39.25 $39.25

75.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$14.61 $14.61

-47.50%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$1,846 $1,846

-47.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$7,953 $7,953

137.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$57.6 $57.6

22.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$38.09 $38.09

48.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$78.9 $78.9

63.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$102 $102

28.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,558 $1,558

-24.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,296 $1,296

-27.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,529 $2,529

-21.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$2,099 $2,099

-33.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$2,870 $2,870

-6.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$2,154 $2,154

-5.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$4,366 $4,366

-77.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.64

29.82%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Brockton, MA: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Brockton, MA

$1.3K 47% 37.4% $353

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Brockton, MA

$443 16.1% 10% $40

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Brockton, MA

$268 9.7% 15.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Brockton, MA

$472 17.1% 148% $282

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Brockton, MA

$124 4.5% 28.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Brockton, MA

$68 2.5% 18.7% $16

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Brockton, MA

$86 3.1% 6.4% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in San Jose and $1,558 in Brockton, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brockton, MA pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $94 in Brockton, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $443 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Brockton, MA

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

16:15 4:15 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

94,191

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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San Jose Brockton, MA 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Brockton, MA

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 Brockton, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Brockton, MA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 77% 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 $1,558 in Brockton, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,107 per month in San Jose versus $2,758 in Brockton, MA – San Jose is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Brockton, MA runs roughly 7% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,758 in Brockton, MA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Brockton, MA. 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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Brockton, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.