Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Castle Rock, CO

For one person, living is cheaper in Castle Rock, CO: $1,249 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Castle Rock, CO
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Castle Rock, CO Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Castle Rock, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$1,249

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Castle Rock, CO

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 Castle Rock, CO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $1,249 in Castle Rock, CO.

San Jose $2,107
Castle Rock, CO $1,249

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $1,975 in Castle Rock, CO.

San Jose $3,081
Castle Rock, CO $1,975

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $2,702 in Castle Rock, CO.

San Jose $4,054
Castle Rock, CO $2,702

Living in San Jose is roughly 69% more expensive than in Castle Rock, CO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Jose is 56% above, Castle Rock, CO is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$22.20 $22.20

-44.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$64.5 $64.5

-3.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$9.21 $9.21

27.14%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$5.64 $5.64

-19.50%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.56 $2.56

7.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.97 $1.97

-5.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$6.78 $6.78

-50.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$5.98 $5.98

-27.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.00 $1.00

136.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.98 $2.98

3.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$2.81 $2.81

-10.68%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$4.38 $4.38

-19.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$11.07 $11.07

-4.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$9.32 $9.32

13.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$19.29 $19.29

-27.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$4.95 $4.95

5.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.39 $1.39

18.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.62 $3.62

35.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$5.37 $5.37

-28.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.88 $2.88

35.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$3.23 $3.23

16.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.31 $1.31

-14.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.76 $1.76

82.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$10.40 $10.40

-42.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$12.06 $12.06

64.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.56 $2.56

9.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$2.62 $2.62

39.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$2.54 $2.54

-11.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.83 $1.83

-2.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$24.86 $24.86

-68.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$0.74 $0.74

102.70%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$28.4K $28.4K

17.71%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$26.0K $26.0K

62.96%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$209 $209

-55.46%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$39.22 $39.22

-7.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$70.7 $70.7

-14.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$60.1 $60.1

14.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$11.90 $11.90

-35.55%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$1,285 $1,285

-24.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$11.3K $11.3K

67.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$54.2 $54.2

30.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$49.30 $49.30

14.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$79.4 $79.4

62.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$114 $114

14.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$5,943 $5,943

-83.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.77

27.33%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Castle Rock, CO: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Castle Rock, CO

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Castle Rock, CO

$364 29.1% 9.6% $39

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Castle Rock, CO

$337 27% 45% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Castle Rock, CO

$319 25.6% 68.1% $129

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Castle Rock, CO

$134 10.7% 23.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Castle Rock, CO

$84 6.7% 0.4% $0.4

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Castle Rock, CO

$12 * 0.9% 85.5% $69

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Castle Rock, CO pays about 6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $65 in Castle Rock, CO. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $364, with Castle Rock, CO cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Castle Rock, CO

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

73,158

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Castle Rock, CO 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Castle Rock, CO

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 Castle Rock, CO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,107 in San Jose and $1,249 in Castle Rock, CO, so Castle Rock, CO is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 83% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,107 per month in San Jose versus $1,249 in Castle Rock, CO – Castle Rock, CO is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,249 in Castle Rock, CO versus $2,107 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Castle Rock, CO but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Castle Rock, CO 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.