Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Gresham, OR

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,712 in Gresham, OR, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gresham, OR outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Gresham, OR
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Gresham, OR Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Gresham, OR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Gresham, OR

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 Gresham, OR actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,949 in San Jose versus $2,712 in Gresham, OR.

San Jose $1,949
Gresham, OR $2,712

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,903 in San Jose versus $3,681 in Gresham, OR.

San Jose $2,903
Gresham, OR $3,681

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,857 in San Jose versus $4,650 in Gresham, OR.

San Jose $3,857
Gresham, OR $4,650

Living in San Jose costs roughly 28% less than in Gresham, OR, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 45% above, Gresham, OR 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$24.96 $24.96

-51.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$83.4 $83.4

-27.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$12.26 $12.26

-4.00%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$5.88 $5.88

-26.87%

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

$2.72 ₡1,226

$2.92 $2.92

-6.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$1.69 $1.69

8.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$6.34 $6.34

-48.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$7.21 $7.21

-39.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$1.04 $1.04

128.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$4.20 $4.20

-25.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$3.16 $3.16

-23.73%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$4.18 $4.18

-16.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$11.72 $11.72

-9.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$10.46 $10.46

0.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$16.84 $16.84

-18.35%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$4.39 $4.39

14.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$1.59 $1.59

1.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$2.79 $2.79

64.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$2.63 $2.63

46.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$2.14 $2.14

76.17%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$1.85 $1.85

103.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$2.00 $2.00

-44.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

$1.71 $1.71

87.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$11.83 $11.83

-50.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$10.89 $10.89

81.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$2.10 $2.10

30.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$2.34 $2.34

56.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.79 $2.79

-59.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$4.42 $4.42

-44.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

$0.77 $0.77

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

$23.95 $23.95

-64.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.36 $1.36

13.97%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$36.9K $36.9K

-41.22%

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$25.3K $25.3K

37.85%

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

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$198 $198

-52.23%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$72.0 $72.0

-51.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$66.6 $66.6

-12.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$30.31 $30.31

138.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$12.01 $12.01

-34.80%

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

$971 ₡437.9K

$1,350 $1,350

-28.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$13.0K $13.0K

30.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$41.07 $41.07

74.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$29.53 $29.53

85.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$84.3 $84.3

52.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$85.2 $85.2

56.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

$1,681 $1,681

-44.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

$1,528 $1,528

-49.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

$2,842 $2,842

-31.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

$1,888 $1,888

-30.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

$4,028 $4,028

-75.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.7

28.66%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Last update for Gresham, OR: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

Gresham, OR

$1.5K 55.2% 98.4% $758

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

Gresham, OR

$351 12.7% 12% $48

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

Gresham, OR

$372 13.4% 62.9% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

Gresham, OR

$337 12.2% 78.8% $148

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

Gresham, OR

$108 3.9% 38.2% $67

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Gresham, OR

$54 2% 38.1% $33

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

Gresham, OR

$19 * 0.7% 75.6% $60

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 $934 in San Jose and $1,681 in Gresham, OR. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gresham, OR pays 300% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $60.0 in San Jose vs $83.0 in Gresham, OR. Groceries flip the comparison at $399 vs $351, with Gresham, OR cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Gresham, OR

🕒 Local time

22:06 10:06 PM

21:06 9:06 PM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

114,247

💱 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 = 0.892 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Jose Gresham, OR 5,380 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Gresham, OR

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 Gresham, OR: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose and Gresham, OR differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,949 vs $2,712 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 300% lower in Gresham, OR. 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: $934 in San Jose versus $1,681 in Gresham, OR. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $971 in San Jose versus $1,350 in Gresham, OR. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $83.0 in Gresham, OR. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,949 in San Jose versus $2,712 in Gresham, OR, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Gresham, OR. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Gresham, OR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.