Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Fond du Lac, WI

For one person, living is cheaper in Fond du Lac, WI: $989 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Fond du Lac, WI
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Fond du Lac, WI Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Fond du Lac, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$989

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Fond du Lac, WI

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 Fond du Lac, WI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,938 in San Jose versus $989 in Fond du Lac, WI.

San Jose $1,938
Fond du Lac, WI $989

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,936 in San Jose versus $1,655 in Fond du Lac, WI.

San Jose $2,936
Fond du Lac, WI $1,655

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,934 in San Jose versus $2,322 in Fond du Lac, WI.

San Jose $3,934
Fond du Lac, WI $2,322

Living in San Jose is roughly 96% more expensive than in Fond du Lac, WI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Jose is 44% above, Fond du Lac, WI is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$12.84 $12.84

-3.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$68.0 $68.0

-10.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$8.08 $8.08

41.71%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$3.97 $3.97

10.58%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$2.94 $2.94

-8.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$2.36 $2.36

-18.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$4.01 $4.01

-20.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$5.92 $5.92

-25.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$0.77 $0.77

216.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.78 $2.78

9.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$2.93 $2.93

-17.75%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$3.15 $3.15

7.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$16.75 $16.75

-35.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$11.47 $11.47

-9.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$13.08 $13.08

6.96%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$4.51 $4.51

16.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.65 $1.65

-3.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$3.42 $3.42

37.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$5.84 $5.84

-32.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$4.62 $4.62

-15.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$2.51 $2.51

46.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.98 $0.98

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$1.70 $1.70

87.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$11.06 $11.06

-45.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$8.45 $8.45

131.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$1.70 $1.70

65.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$10.09 $10.09

-75.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$20.31 $20.31

-58.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.95 $0.95

64.21%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$24.5K $24.5K

-8.54%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$25.1K $25.1K

41.87%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$101 $101

-5.47%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$36.93 $36.93

-3.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$51.5 $51.5

13.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$11.96 $11.96

-36.62%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$1,523 $1,523

-34.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$56.6 $56.6

24.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$48.30 $48.30

15.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$86.9 $86.9

49.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$224 $224

-41.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$1,181 $1,181

-21.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$1,517 $1,517

29.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$1,796 $1,796

26.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$1,780 $1,780

2.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

$3,007 $3,007

-66.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.43

34.06%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Fond du Lac, WI: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Fond du Lac, WI

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Fond du Lac, WI

$351 * 35.5% 12.6% $50

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Fond du Lac, WI

$228 23% 0.7% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Fond du Lac, WI

$189 19.1% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Fond du Lac, WI

$187 18.9% 7.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Fond du Lac, WI

$24 * 2.4% 72.8% $64

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Fond du Lac, WI

$10 * 1% 87.7% $72

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 $927 in San Jose and $1,181 in Fond du Lac, WI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fond du Lac, WI pays 196% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in San Jose vs $68.0 in Fond du Lac, WI. Groceries flip the comparison at $401 vs $351, with Fond du Lac, WI cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Fond du Lac, WI

🕒 Local time

16:29 4:29 PM

17:29 5:29 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

43,021

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Fond du Lac, WI 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Fond du Lac, WI

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 Fond du Lac, WI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose and Fond du Lac, WI differ by about 96% in total monthly costs ($1,938 vs $989 including rent). Fond du Lac, WI is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 196% lower in Fond du Lac, WI. 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: $927 in San Jose versus $1,181 in Fond du Lac, WI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,001 in San Jose versus $1,523 in Fond du Lac, WI. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Fond du Lac, WI – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $61.0 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $989 in Fond du Lac, WI versus $1,938 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Fond du Lac, WI but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Fond du Lac, WI 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.

Safety-wise, San Jose and Fond du Lac, WI are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Fond du Lac, WI gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.