Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Cambridge, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $4,799 in Cambridge, MA, rent and utilities included – about $32,300 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
228

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge, MA
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Cambridge, MA Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Cambridge, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Cambridge, 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 Cambridge, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $4,799 in Cambridge, MA.

San Jose $2,107
Cambridge, MA $4,799

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $7,155 in Cambridge, MA.

San Jose $3,081
Cambridge, MA $7,155

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $9,510 in Cambridge, MA.

San Jose $4,054
Cambridge, MA $9,510

Living in San Jose costs roughly 56% less than in Cambridge, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, Cambridge, MA 255% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$19.83 $19.83

-37.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$101 $101

-38.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$11.82 $11.82

-0.93%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$5.38 $5.38

-15.61%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$3.02 $3.02

-8.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$2.35 $2.35

-20.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$7.93 $7.93

-57.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$8.20 $8.20

-47.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.18 $1.18

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$4.41 $4.41

-30.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$7.23 $7.23

-65.28%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$5.02 $5.02

-29.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$19.02 $19.02

-44.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$13.98 $13.98

-24.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$19.03 $19.03

-26.85%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$7.42 $7.42

-29.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.64 $1.64

0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$5.88 $5.88

-16.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$7.71 $7.71

-50.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$4.38 $4.38

-10.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$3.68 $3.68

2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.93 $2.93

-61.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$2.51 $2.51

28.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$13.35 $13.35

-54.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$15.55 $15.55

27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$1.94 $1.94

44.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$4.47 $4.47

-18.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.39 $2.39

-54.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$88.9 $88.9

-26.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.88 $3.88

-41.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$2.15 $2.15

-17.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$29.68 $29.68

-73.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.11 $1.11

35.14%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$27.3K $27.3K

22.44%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$26.6K $26.6K

59.27%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$228 $228

-59.14%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$55.6 $55.6

-34.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$78.6 $78.6

-22.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$74.9 $74.9

-8.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$30.38 $30.38

-17.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$15.17 $15.17

-49.44%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$2,591 $2,591

-62.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$45.7K $45.7K

-58.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$72.8 $72.8

-2.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$51.1 $51.1

10.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$103 $103

24.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$141 $141

-7.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$3,738 $3,738

-68.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$3,207 $3,207

-70.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$6,164 $6,164

-67.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$5,901 $5,901

-76.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$7,656 $7,656

-64.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$6,069 $6,069

-66.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$6,222 $6,222

-84.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.5

32.62%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cambridge, MA: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Cambridge, MA

$3.2K 66.8% 240% $2.3K

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Cambridge, MA

$510 10.6% 26.6% $107

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Cambridge, MA

$336 7% 44.6% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Cambridge, MA

$362 7.6% 90.7% $172

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Cambridge, MA

$166 3.5% 4.8% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Cambridge, MA

$105 2.2% 24.9% $21

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Cambridge, MA

$113 2.4% 40.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in San Jose and $3,738 in Cambridge, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge, MA pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $101 in Cambridge, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $510 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Cambridge, MA

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

15:20 3:20 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

105,162

💱 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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Between locations

San Jose Cambridge, MA 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Cambridge, 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 Cambridge, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Cambridge, 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 84% 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 $3,738 in Cambridge, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Cambridge, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $101 in Cambridge, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $4,799 in Cambridge, MA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Cambridge, MA. 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 Cambridge, MA, 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 56% less than in Cambridge, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.