Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Houston, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,698 in Houston, MO, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Houston, MO
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Houston, MO Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Houston, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Houston, MO

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 Houston, MO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,698 in Houston, MO.

San Jose $1,924
Houston, MO $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,926 in San Jose versus $3,946 in Houston, MO.

San Jose $2,926
Houston, MO $3,946

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,929 in San Jose versus $5,195 in Houston, MO.

San Jose $3,929
Houston, MO $5,195

Living in San Jose costs roughly 29% less than in Houston, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 42% above, Houston, MO 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,513

$17.96 $17.96

-31.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡27.9K

$78.0 $78.0

-20.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 ₡5,171

$11.87 $11.87

-2.86%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,953

$5.20 $5.20

-16.35%

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

$2.64 ₡1,183

$2.35 $2.35

12.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡836

$1.69 $1.69

10.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,490

$5.59 $5.59

-40.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,026

$7.20 $7.20

-37.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$1.24 $1.24

92.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,381

$3.75 $3.75

-17.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$5.62 $5.62

-55.52%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,562

$4.05 $4.05

-14.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,815

$13.42 $13.42

-19.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,629

$15.45 $15.45

-33.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,325

$20.46 $20.46

-31.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,256

$8.25 $8.25

-39.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$2.40 $2.40

-33.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 ₡2,171

$5.69 $5.69

-14.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,776

$5.35 $5.35

-25.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,684

$4.19 $4.19

-10.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$4.98 $4.98

-25.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡485

$2.77 $2.77

-61.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,456

$2.85 $2.85

14.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,627

$8.25 $8.25

-28.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 ₡9,095

$14.94 $14.94

35.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.90 $2.90

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ₡1,673

$3.28 $3.28

13.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

$1.90 $1.90

-43.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$3.55 $3.55

-29.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

$1.57 $1.57

3.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

$40.60 $40.60

-78.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡709

$0.93 $0.93

69.89%

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

$33.6K ₡15.1M

$28.3K $28.3K

18.87%

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

$41.7K ₡18.7M

$25.7K $25.7K

62.44%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$239 $239

-60.86%

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

$35.42 ₡15.9K

$69.9 $69.9

-49.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡26.9K

$76.3 $76.3

-21.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$44.69 $44.69

62.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,471

$13.96 $13.96

-44.56%

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

$1,005 ₡450.9K

$1,406 $1,406

-28.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$23.4K $23.4K

-27.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 ₡32.8K

$58.8 $58.8

24.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$40.65 $40.65

36.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$89.9 $89.9

42.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.5K

$119 $119

9.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ₡418.0K

$1,361 $1,361

-31.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡340.8K

$1,290 $1,290

-41.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

$2,511 $2,511

-23.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

$2,115 $2,115

-39.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.0M

$2,461 $2,461

-6.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ₡821.9K

$2,601 $2,601

-29.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.72

28.27%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Last update for Houston, MO: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$760 39.5%

Houston, MO

$1.3K 47.8% 69.8% $530

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 21%

Houston, MO

$491 18.2% 21.9% $88

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.9%

Houston, MO

$300 11.1% 31.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Houston, MO

$386 14.3% 104% $196

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9.1%

Houston, MO

$139 5.2% 20.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Houston, MO

$73 2.7% 17.6% $15

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.2%

Houston, MO

$19 * 0.7% 76.4% $61

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 $932 in San Jose and $1,361 in Houston, MO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in San Jose vs $78.0 in Houston, MO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $491 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Houston, MO

🕒 Local time

10:12 10:12 AM

11:12 11:12 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

2,304,580

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Houston, MO 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Houston, MO

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 Houston, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,886 in San Jose and $4,047 in Houston, MO to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $932 in San Jose versus $1,361 in Houston, MO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,005 in San Jose versus $1,406 in Houston, MO. 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 $62.0 versus $78.0 in Houston, MO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,698 in Houston, MO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Houston, MO. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Houston, MO, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Houston, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.