Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Burlington, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Burlington, IA: $1,769 a month against $1,924 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in San Jose despite lower rent and utilities.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Burlington, IA

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 Burlington, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,924 in San Jose versus $1,769 in Burlington, IA.

San Jose $1,924
Burlington, IA $1,769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,926 in San Jose versus $2,675 in Burlington, IA.

San Jose $2,926
Burlington, IA $2,675

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,929 in San Jose versus $3,580 in Burlington, IA.

San Jose $3,929
Burlington, IA $3,580

Living in San Jose is roughly 9% more expensive than in Burlington, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 42% above, Burlington, IA 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,513

$11.35 $11.35

8.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡27.9K

$59.1 $59.1

5.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 ₡5,171

$8.84 $8.84

30.43%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,953

$4.74 $4.74

-8.23%

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

$2.64 ₡1,183

$1.95 $1.95

35.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡836

$2.02 $2.02

-7.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,490

$3.41 $3.41

-2.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,026

$4.58 $4.58

-1.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$0.81 $0.81

195.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,381

$2.82 $2.82

9.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$4.34 $4.34

-42.40%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,562

$2.92 $2.92

19.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,815

$11.37 $11.37

-5.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,629

$11.93 $11.93

-13.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,325

$14.20 $14.20

-0.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,256

$4.02 $4.02

25.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$1.98 $1.98

-19.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 ₡2,171

$4.61 $4.61

4.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,776

$4.65 $4.65

-14.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,684

$2.74 $2.74

37.23%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$2.60 $2.60

43.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡485

$1.54 $1.54

-29.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,456

$2.06 $2.06

57.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,627

$8.16 $8.16

-28.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 ₡9,095

$16.29 $16.29

24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.89 $1.89

53.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ₡1,673

$2.27 $2.27

64.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

$1.94 $1.94

-44.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

$15.76 $15.76

315.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$4.67 $4.67

-46.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

$1.02 $1.02

59.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

$22.19 $22.19

-60.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡709

$0.94 $0.94

68.09%

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

$33.6K ₡15.1M

$22.7K $22.7K

47.83%

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

$41.7K ₡18.7M

$25.0K $25.0K

66.80%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$184 $184

-49.13%

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

$35.42 ₡15.9K

$47.16 $47.16

-24.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡26.9K

$59.2 $59.2

1.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$42.42 $42.42

71.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,471

$11.92 $11.92

-35.07%

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

$1,005 ₡450.9K

$1,210 $1,210

-16.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$13.3K $13.3K

27.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 ₡32.8K

$44.72 $44.72

63.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$30.53 $30.53

81.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$87.0 $87.0

47.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.5K

$37.90 $37.90

244.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ₡418.0K

$754 $754

23.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡340.8K

$707 $707

7.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

$1,172 $1,172

64.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

$1,280 $1,280

-0.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.0M

$1,026 $1,026

124.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ₡821.9K

$1,033 $1,033

77.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

$4,446 $4,446

-76.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.54

31.80%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Last update for Burlington, IA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$760 39.5%

Burlington, IA

$707 40% 7% $53

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 21%

Burlington, IA

$366 20.7% 9.2% $37

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.9%

Burlington, IA

$216 12.2% 5.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Burlington, IA

$290 16.4% 53.6% $101

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9.1%

Burlington, IA

$90 5.1% 48.3% $84

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Burlington, IA

$66 3.7% 24.8% $22

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.2%

Burlington, IA

$33 1.9% 58.6% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $932 in San Jose and $754 in Burlington, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, IA pays 332% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in San Jose vs $59.0 in Burlington, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $366 per month, with Burlington, IA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🕒 Local time

18:51 6:51 PM

19:51 7:51 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

44,743

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Burlington, IA 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Burlington, IA

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 Burlington, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burlington, IA wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in San Jose. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Burlington, IA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 332% lower in Burlington, IA. 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: $932 in San Jose versus $754 in Burlington, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,005 in San Jose versus $1,210 in Burlington, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,769 in Burlington, IA versus $1,924 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Burlington, IA but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Burlington, IA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Burlington, IA delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,769 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Burlington, IA hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, San Jose and Burlington, IA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Burlington, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.