Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Dearborn, MI

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,623 in Dearborn, MI, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Dearborn, MI
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Dearborn, MI Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Dearborn, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Dearborn, MI

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 Dearborn, MI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $2,623 in Dearborn, MI, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
Dearborn, MI $2,623

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $3,775 in Dearborn, MI, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
Dearborn, MI $3,775

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $4,927 in Dearborn, MI, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
Dearborn, MI $4,927

San Jose is about 20% cheaper than Dearborn, MI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Jose and Dearborn, MI sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, Dearborn, MI by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$18.09 $18.09

-31.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$63.4 $63.4

-1.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$11.10 $11.10

5.50%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$5.55 $5.55

-18.20%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.58 $2.58

6.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.96 $1.96

-5.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$6.06 $6.06

-44.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$8.17 $8.17

-47.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$0.88 $0.88

168.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$3.37 $3.37

-8.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$4.15 $4.15

-39.52%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.81 $3.81

-7.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$13.74 $13.74

-23.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$11.12 $11.12

-4.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$16.27 $16.27

-14.44%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$5.09 $5.09

2.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.61 $1.61

2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$4.11 $4.11

18.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.77 $3.77

1.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.56 $2.56

52.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.98 $2.98

26.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.29 $2.29

-51.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$2.24 $2.24

43.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$10.17 $10.17

-40.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$15.24 $15.24

30.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.46 $2.46

14.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.48 $3.48

4.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.94 $1.94

-44.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$63.3 $63.3

2.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$2.74 $2.74

-17.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.37 $1.37

29.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$23.76 $23.76

-66.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.09 $1.09

37.61%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$33.6K $33.6K

-0.51%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$25.6K $25.6K

64.97%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$215 $215

-56.72%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$60.4 $60.4

-40.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$68.4 $68.4

-11.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$39.36 $39.36

75.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$12.60 $12.60

-39.13%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$1,235 $1,235

-21.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$31.7K $31.7K

-40.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$60.2 $60.2

17.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$41.19 $41.19

37.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$95.5 $95.5

34.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$119 $119

10.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,568 $1,568

-25.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,292 $1,292

-27.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,612 $2,612

-24.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$2,085 $2,085

-32.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$1,897 $1,897

41.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$1,925 $1,925

5.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$3,749 $3,749

-73.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.49

32.82%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Dearborn, MI: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Dearborn, MI

$1.3K 49.3% 37% $349

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Dearborn, MI

$390 14.9% 3.2% $13

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Dearborn, MI

$309 11.8% 33.2% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Dearborn, MI

$344 13.1% 81.2% $154

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Dearborn, MI

$142 5.4% 18.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Dearborn, MI

$65 2.5% 23.4% $20

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Dearborn, MI

$81 3.1% 0% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,568 in Dearborn, MI. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Dearborn, MI are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose versus $63 in Dearborn, MI. Groceries tell a different story – $403 in San Jose vs $390 in Dearborn, MI – so Dearborn, MI wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Dearborn, MI

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

02:11 2:11 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

92,382

💱 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 = 0.891 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 = 0.891 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Dearborn, MI 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Dearborn, MI

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 Dearborn, MI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dearborn, MI is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $3,935 in Dearborn, MI. 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 $1,568 in Dearborn, MI.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Dearborn, MI. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Dearborn, MI – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Dearborn, MI at $2,623. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dearborn, MI 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, Dearborn, MI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.