Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Cedar City, UT

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,301 in Cedar City, UT, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Cedar City, UT despite lower rent and utilities.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Cedar City, UT
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Cedar City, UT Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Cedar City, UT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,301

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Cedar City, UT

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 Cedar City, UT actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,301 in Cedar City, UT.

San Jose $2,107
Cedar City, UT $2,301

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $3,578 in Cedar City, UT.

San Jose $3,081
Cedar City, UT $3,578

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $4,854 in Cedar City, UT.

San Jose $4,054
Cedar City, UT $4,854

Living in San Jose costs roughly 8% less than in Cedar City, UT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, Cedar City, UT 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$23.91 $23.91

-48.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$79.1 $79.1

-21.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$14.94 $14.94

-21.62%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$6.64 $6.64

-31.63%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$4.80 $4.80

-42.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$3.09 $3.09

-39.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$6.05 $6.05

-44.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$10.98 $10.98

-60.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.13 $1.13

108.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$3.56 $3.56

-13.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$4.19 $4.19

-40.10%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.69 $3.69

-4.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$18.01 $18.01

-41.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$16.17 $16.17

-34.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$18.69 $18.69

-25.52%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$8.19 $8.19

-36.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$2.42 $2.42

-31.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$8.01 $8.01

-38.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.74 $3.74

2.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$1.74 $1.74

124.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.35 $2.35

60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.25 $2.25

-50.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$2.29 $2.29

40.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$13.04 $13.04

-53.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$21.78 $21.78

-8.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$1.91 $1.91

47.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$4.78 $4.78

-23.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$4.85 $4.85

-77.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$40.11 $40.11

62.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$0.86 $0.86

74.42%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$36.9K $36.9K

-9.32%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$24.8K $24.8K

70.72%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$170 $170

-45.29%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$33.51 $33.51

7.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$57.2 $57.2

5.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$54.1 $54.1

27.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$11.35 $11.35

-32.42%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$56.6 $56.6

24.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$51.0 $51.0

11.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$101 $101

27.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$149 $149

-12.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,071 $1,071

9.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$859 $859

9.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$1,915 $1,915

3.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,609 $1,609

-12.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$2,651 $2,651

1.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$2,717 $2,717

-25.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$3,513 $3,513

-71.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.19

19.89%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cedar City, UT: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Cedar City, UT

$859 37.3% 9% $84

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Cedar City, UT

$485 21.1% 20.4% $82

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Cedar City, UT

$399 17.4% 71.9% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Cedar City, UT

$261 11.3% 37.4% $71

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Cedar City, UT

$161 7% 7.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Cedar City, UT

$77 3.3% 8.9% $7.5

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Cedar City, UT

$60 * 2.6% 26.2% $21

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 $1,170 in San Jose and $1,071 in Cedar City, UT. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cedar City, UT pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $79 in Cedar City, UT for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $485 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Cedar City, UT

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

12:10 12:10 PM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

28,857

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

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San Jose Cedar City, UT 4,230 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Cedar City, UT

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 Cedar City, UT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 72% 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 $1,071 in Cedar City, UT. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $79 in Cedar City, UT. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Cedar City, UT runs roughly 39% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Cedar City, UT on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.