Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and College Park, MD

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,372 in College Park, MD, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in College Park, MD outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
161

Cost of Living Index in College Park, MD
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College Park, MD Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

College Park, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in College Park, MD

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 College Park, MD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $3,372 in College Park, MD, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
College Park, MD $3,372

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $4,595 in College Park, MD, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
College Park, MD $4,595

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $5,818 in College Park, MD, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
College Park, MD $5,818

San Jose is about 38% cheaper than College Park, MD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Jose and College Park, MD sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, College Park, MD by 149%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,546

$15.72 $15.72

-21.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$69.6 $69.6

-10.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,248

$9.97 $9.97

17.45%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,034

$4.51 $4.51

0.67%

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

$2.75 ₡1,234

$2.68 $2.68

2.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡835

$1.73 $1.73

7.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,501

$6.64 $6.64

-49.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,938

$5.92 $5.92

-27.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,057

$0.85 $0.85

177.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,375

$2.61 $2.61

17.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,124

$5.65 $5.65

-55.58%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,580

$2.07 $2.07

70.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,724

$6.63 $6.63

58.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,740

$6.43 $6.43

64.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,242

$20.47 $20.47

-32.00%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,331

$6.75 $6.75

-22.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡738

$2.94 $2.94

-43.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,191

$7.25 $7.25

-32.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,722

$5.52 $5.52

-30.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,752

$4.85 $4.85

-19.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,687

$3.34 $3.34

12.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.02 $1.02

9.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,443

$3.21 $3.21

0.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,698

$9.69 $9.69

-37.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,892

$11.80 $11.80

68.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,261

$1.70 $1.70

65.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,638

$3.70 $3.70

-1.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡485

$2.95 $2.95

-63.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,015

$4.95 $4.95

-54.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡797

$1.60 $1.60

11.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,540

$25.18 $25.18

-68.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡671

$0.98 $0.98

53.06%

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

$33.5K ₡15.0M

$30.7K $30.7K

9.03%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$25.7K $25.7K

64.55%

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

$93.2 ₡41.8K

$243 $243

-61.63%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$50.4 $50.4

-28.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$68.4 $68.4

-11.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡30.9K

$39.47 $39.47

74.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,439

$14.93 $14.93

-48.63%

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

$972 ₡435.6K

$1,982 $1,982

-50.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$32.8K $32.8K

-42.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.7K

$47.58 $47.58

48.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.4K

$31.92 $31.92

77.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.7K

$117 $117

9.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$134 $134

-2.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡524.3K

$2,325 $2,325

-49.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡422.8K

$2,105 $2,105

-55.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡889.3K

$3,620 $3,620

-45.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡627.6K

$3,090 $3,090

-54.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡913.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡442.3K

$6,451 $6,451

-84.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.23

38.36%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for College Park, MD: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

College Park, MD

$2.1K 62.4% 123% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

College Park, MD

$390 11.6% 3.1% $12

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

College Park, MD

$272 8.1% 17.2% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

College Park, MD

$362 10.7% 90.4% $172

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

College Park, MD

$149 4.4% 14.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

College Park, MD

$69 2.1% 17.7% $15

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

College Park, MD

$25 * 0.7% 69.3% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $2,325 in College Park, MD. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in College Park, MD are about 6.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose versus $70 in College Park, MD. Groceries tell a different story – $403 in San Jose vs $390 in College Park, MD – so College Park, MD wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 College Park, MD

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

09:47 9:47 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

34,740

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 EUR

1 USD = 0.897 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 500 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose College Park, MD 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
College Park, MD

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 College Park, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,107 in San Jose, $3,372 in College Park, MD – San Jose comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $5,059 in College Park, MD. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $2,325 in College Park, MD.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,107 in San Jose and $3,372 in College Park, MD. That makes San Jose about 38% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $972 per month in San Jose and $1,982 in College Park, MD. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in College Park, MD at $3,372. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in College Park, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, College Park, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.