Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Bryan, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,589 in Bryan, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bryan, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Bryan, TX
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Bryan, TX Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Bryan, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Bryan, TX

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 Bryan, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,589 in Bryan, TX.

San Jose $1,938
Bryan, TX $2,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,936 in San Jose versus $3,776 in Bryan, TX.

San Jose $2,936
Bryan, TX $3,776

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,934 in San Jose versus $4,964 in Bryan, TX.

San Jose $3,934
Bryan, TX $4,964

Living in San Jose costs roughly 25% less than in Bryan, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 44% above, Bryan, TX 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,568

$19.02 $19.02

-34.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.4K

$75.3 $75.3

-19.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,151

$10.79 $10.79

6.12%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,973

$5.15 $5.15

-14.76%

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

$2.70 ₡1,215

$2.47 $2.47

9.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡866

$1.96 $1.96

-1.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,438

$6.03 $6.03

-46.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,985

$7.16 $7.16

-38.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,096

$1.03 $1.03

136.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,373

$3.54 $3.54

-13.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,084

$4.22 $4.22

-42.89%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,528

$4.11 $4.11

-17.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,838

$12.35 $12.35

-12.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,694

$11.47 $11.47

-9.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,293

$15.42 $15.42

-9.27%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,360

$5.03 $5.03

4.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$1.61 $1.61

-1.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,109

$4.22 $4.22

11.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,776

$4.81 $4.81

-17.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,765

$2.88 $2.88

36.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,657

$2.87 $2.87

28.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.07 $2.07

-45.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,434

$2.16 $2.16

47.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,700

$9.64 $9.64

-37.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,798

$13.88 $13.88

40.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,267

$1.80 $1.80

56.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,616

$3.39 $3.39

5.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.97 $1.97

-43.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$3.43 $3.43

-27.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡735

$1.65 $1.65

-1.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,823

$29.13 $29.13

-70.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡703

$0.89 $0.89

75.28%

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

$22.4K ₡10.1M

$29.9K $29.9K

-24.95%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$25.6K $25.6K

38.80%

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

$95.2 ₡42.8K

$189 $189

-49.53%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$53.6 $53.6

-33.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$68.3 $68.3

-14.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.7K

$42.62 $42.62

70.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,412

$13.61 $13.61

-44.31%

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

$1,001 ₡450.4K

$1,312 $1,312

-23.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$23.7K $23.7K

-27.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.7K

$50.7 $50.7

39.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$40.61 $40.61

37.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.4K

$86.8 $86.8

49.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$110 $110

18.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡417.1K

$1,586 $1,586

-41.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡348.3K

$1,363 $1,363

-43.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡884.7K

$2,594 $2,594

-24.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡579.4K

$2,240 $2,240

-42.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$2,787 $2,787

-18.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡823.5K

$2,429 $2,429

-24.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡457.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.51

32.41%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bryan, TX: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Bryan, TX

$1.4K 52.7% 76.1% $589

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Bryan, TX

$388 15% 3.3% $13

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Bryan, TX

$309 11.9% 34.5% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Bryan, TX

$311 12% 63.9% $121

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Bryan, TX

$130 5% 25.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Bryan, TX

$70 2.7% 20.5% $18

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Bryan, TX

$20 * 0.8% 76.2% $62

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 $1,586 in Bryan, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in San Jose vs $75.0 in Bryan, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $401 vs $388, with Bryan, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Bryan, TX

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

12:04 12:04 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

83,980

💱 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 = 0.896 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 13, 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 October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Bryan, TX 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Bryan, TX

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 Bryan, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,907 in San Jose and $3,883 in Bryan, TX to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $927 in San Jose versus $1,586 in Bryan, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,001 in San Jose versus $1,312 in Bryan, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $75.0 in Bryan, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,589 in Bryan, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Bryan, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Bryan, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.