Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Brookings, OR

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,105 a month against $2,632 in Brookings, OR, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
127

Cost of Living Index in Brookings, OR
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Brookings, OR Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Brookings, OR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Brookings, OR

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 Brookings, OR actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,105 per month in San Jose vs $2,632 in Brookings, OR, rent included.

San Jose $2,105
Brookings, OR $2,632

A couple spends around $3,074 per month in San Jose vs $3,869 in Brookings, OR, rent included.

San Jose $3,074
Brookings, OR $3,869

A family of three spends $4,043 per month in San Jose vs $5,107 in Brookings, OR, rent included.

San Jose $4,043
Brookings, OR $5,107

San Jose is about 20% cheaper than Brookings, OR, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Jose and Brookings, OR sit above the global median – San Jose by 55%, Brookings, OR by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.43 ₡5,609

$20.05 $20.05

-38.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.5K

$74.7 $74.7

-18.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 ₡5,288

$9.62 $9.62

21.83%

Cappuccino

$4.47 ₡2,019

$6.35 $6.35

-29.61%

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

$2.75 ₡1,241

$3.33 $3.33

-17.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡867

$2.05 $2.05

-6.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 ₡1,470

$6.04 $6.04

-46.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡2,009

$6.80 $6.80

-34.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,063

$1.05 $1.05

124.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 ₡1,393

$4.35 $4.35

-28.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,083

$4.42 $4.42

-45.70%

Eggs

$3.44 ₡1,553

$6.08 $6.08

-43.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,841

$12.79 $12.79

-16.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,674

$11.83 $11.83

-12.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ₡6,243

$16.16 $16.16

-14.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 ₡2,323

$5.23 $5.23

-1.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡746

$1.63 $1.63

1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,109

$4.38 $4.38

6.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 ₡1,798

$4.74 $4.74

-16.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,761

$2.76 $2.76

41.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 ₡1,647

$2.66 $2.66

37.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.50 $2.50

-56.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,398

$2.24 $2.24

38.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 ₡2,745

$10.29 $10.29

-40.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.05 ₡9,047

$15.04 $15.04

33.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,252

$1.99 $1.99

39.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,666

$3.14 $3.14

17.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.29 $2.29

-51.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

$57.9 $57.9

15.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,122

$3.40 $3.40

-26.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡735

$1.51 $1.51

7.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 ₡3,821

$27.65 $27.65

-69.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.22 $1.22

28.69%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$24.7K $24.7K

39.91%

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

$42.3K ₡19.1M

$29.3K $29.3K

44.27%

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

$93.2 ₡42.0K

$224 $224

-58.44%

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

$36.05 ₡16.3K

$58.5 $58.5

-38.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 ₡26.7K

$70.2 $70.2

-15.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₡31.1K

$35.77 $35.77

92.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ₡3,543

$13.82 $13.82

-43.20%

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

$996 ₡449.4K

$1,382 $1,382

-27.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$24.9K $24.9K

-31.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 ₡31.6K

$53.3 $53.3

31.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.9K

$44.72 $44.72

23.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.5K

$88.8 $88.8

46.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡59.2K

$113 $113

15.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₡525.2K

$1,540 $1,540

-24.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 ₡426.4K

$1,255 $1,255

-24.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 ₡899.4K

$2,508 $2,508

-20.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 ₡633.4K

$2,110 $2,110

-33.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 ₡1.2M

$3,303 $3,303

-17.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ₡920.7K

$3,240 $3,240

-37.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ₡456.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.57

31.20%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Last update for Brookings, OR: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$945 44.9%

Brookings, OR

$1.3K 47.7% 32.9% $311

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 19%

Brookings, OR

$416 15.8% 4.1% $17

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Brookings, OR

$331 12.6% 42.5% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9%

Brookings, OR

$353 13.4% 87.4% $165

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Brookings, OR

$135 5.1% 22.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$85 4%

Brookings, OR

$63 2.4% 25.1% $21

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 3.9%

Brookings, OR

$78 3% 4.7% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,164 in San Jose versus $1,540 in Brookings, OR. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in San Jose versus $75 in Brookings, OR. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $416 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Brookings, OR

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

16:10 4:10 PM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

18,802

💱 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 = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Brookings, OR 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Brookings, OR

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 Brookings, OR: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Brookings, OR is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,158 per month in San Jose and $3,947 in Brookings, OR. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,164 there versus $1,540 in Brookings, OR.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Brookings, OR. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $996 per month in San Jose and $1,382 in Brookings, OR. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,105, than in Brookings, OR at $2,632. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brookings, OR it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.