Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Houston, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,711 in Houston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Houston, TX
Learn more

Houston, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Houston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,949 in San Jose versus $2,711 in Houston, TX.

San Jose $1,949
Houston, TX $2,711

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,903 in San Jose versus $3,906 in Houston, TX.

San Jose $2,903
Houston, TX $3,906

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,857 in San Jose versus $5,101 in Houston, TX.

San Jose $3,857
Houston, TX $5,101

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$20.57 $20.57

-40.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$74.3 $74.3

-19.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$10.26 $10.26

14.72%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$5.32 $5.32

-19.17%

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

$2.72 ₡1,226

$2.73 $2.73

-0.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$2.26 $2.26

-18.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$6.10 $6.10

-46.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$8.18 $8.18

-46.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$0.81 $0.81

193.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$3.28 $3.28

-4.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$4.05 $4.05

-40.49%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.31 $3.31

4.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$11.25 $11.25

-6.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$12.78 $12.78

-17.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$16.23 $16.23

-15.28%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$4.04 $4.04

24.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$1.41 $1.41

14.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$3.11 $3.11

47.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$3.86 $3.86

-0.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$2.21 $2.21

70.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$2.76 $2.76

36.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$1.84 $1.84

-39.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

$2.49 $2.49

28.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$9.56 $9.56

-38.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$14.44 $14.44

36.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$2.45 $2.45

12.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$3.05 $3.05

20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.28 $1.28

-12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

$76.3 $76.3

-14.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$2.85 $2.85

-13.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

$1.47 $1.47

4.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

$23.64 $23.64

-64.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$0.96 $0.96

61.46%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$35.6K $35.6K

-39.10%

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$27.0K $27.0K

29.21%

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

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$213 $213

-55.48%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$61.1 $61.1

-42.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$73.6 $73.6

-20.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$40.98 $40.98

76.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

$20.54 $20.54

22.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$15.21 $15.21

-48.52%

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

$971 ₡437.9K

$2,153 $2,153

-54.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$22.2K $22.2K

-23.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$49.49 $49.49

44.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$47.52 $47.52

15.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$103 $103

25.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$96.2 $96.2

38.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

$1,685 $1,685

-44.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

$1,403 $1,403

-45.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

$3,136 $3,136

-37.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

$2,207 $2,207

-40.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

$2,381 $2,381

-4.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

$1,855 $1,855

-3.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

$4,353 $4,353

-76.89%

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 Houston, TX: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

Houston, TX

$1.4K 51.1% 82.2% $633

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

Houston, TX

$374 13.6% 6.3% $25

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

Houston, TX

$326 11.9% 42.9% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

Houston, TX

$347 12.6% 84.4% $159

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

Houston, TX

$133 4.9% 23.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Houston, TX

$71 2.6% 18.7% $16

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

Houston, TX

$92 3.3% 14.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $934 in San Jose and $1,685 in Houston, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houston, TX pays 333% 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 $74.0 in Houston, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $399 vs $374, with Houston, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Houston, TX

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

05:39 5:39 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 = 2.22 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 10, 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Houston, TX 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Houston, TX

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, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Houston, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 333% lower in Houston, TX. 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 $1,685 in Houston, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Houston, TX pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $74.0 in Houston, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,949 in San Jose versus $2,711 in Houston, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Houston, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Jose delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,949 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Jose hard to pass up.

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