Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Joliet, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,572 in Joliet, IL, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Joliet, IL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Joliet, IL
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Joliet, IL Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Joliet, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,572

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Joliet, IL

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,572 in Joliet, IL.

San Jose $1,924
Joliet, IL $2,572

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,926 in San Jose versus $3,769 in Joliet, IL.

San Jose $2,926
Joliet, IL $3,769

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,929 in San Jose versus $4,967 in Joliet, IL.

San Jose $3,929
Joliet, IL $4,967

Living in San Jose costs roughly 25% less than in Joliet, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 42% above, Joliet, IL 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,513

$18.77 $18.77

-34.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡27.9K

$75.3 $75.3

-17.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 ₡5,171

$10.95 $10.95

5.30%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,953

$5.22 $5.22

-16.67%

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

$2.64 ₡1,183

$2.47 $2.47

6.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡836

$1.99 $1.99

-6.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,490

$6.11 $6.11

-45.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,026

$7.04 $7.04

-35.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$1.04 $1.04

129.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,381

$3.47 $3.47

-11.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$4.40 $4.40

-43.18%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,562

$4.27 $4.27

-18.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,815

$12.50 $12.50

-14.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,629

$11.49 $11.49

-10.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,325

$15.28 $15.28

-7.72%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,256

$4.88 $4.88

3.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$1.64 $1.64

-3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 ₡2,171

$4.22 $4.22

14.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,776

$4.78 $4.78

-17.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,684

$2.81 $2.81

33.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$2.85 $2.85

30.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡485

$2.07 $2.07

-47.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,456

$2.20 $2.20

47.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,627

$9.66 $9.66

-39.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 ₡9,095

$13.80 $13.80

46.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.77 $1.77

63.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ₡1,673

$3.40 $3.40

9.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

$2.04 $2.04

-47.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$3.60 $3.60

-30.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

$1.59 $1.59

2.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

$28.95 $28.95

-69.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡709

$0.91 $0.91

73.63%

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

$33.6K ₡15.1M

$29.8K $29.8K

12.70%

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

$41.7K ₡18.7M

$25.9K $25.9K

60.84%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$186 $186

-49.53%

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

$35.42 ₡15.9K

$53.2 $53.2

-33.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡26.9K

$66.6 $66.6

-9.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$42.59 $42.59

70.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,471

$13.61 $13.61

-43.13%

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

$1,005 ₡450.9K

$1,282 $1,282

-21.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$23.9K $23.9K

-29.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 ₡32.8K

$50.8 $50.8

43.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$39.24 $39.24

41.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$85.6 $85.6

49.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.5K

$112 $112

16.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ₡418.0K

$1,619 $1,619

-42.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡340.8K

$1,352 $1,352

-43.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

$2,600 $2,600

-26.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

$2,250 $2,250

-43.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.0M

$2,825 $2,825

-18.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ₡821.9K

$2,490 $2,490

-26.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.51

32.41%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Last update for Joliet, IL: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$760 39.5%

Joliet, IL

$1.4K 52.6% 77.9% $592

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 21%

Joliet, IL

$388 15.1% 3.8% $16

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.9%

Joliet, IL

$308 12% 34.6% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Joliet, IL

$305 11.9% 61.5% $116

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9.1%

Joliet, IL

$129 5% 25.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Joliet, IL

$70 2.7% 20.7% $18

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.2%

Joliet, IL

$20 * 0.8% 75.5% $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 $1,619 in Joliet, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in San Jose vs $75.0 in Joliet, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $388, with Joliet, IL cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Joliet, IL

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

00:59 12:59 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

150,362

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Joliet, IL 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Joliet, IL

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 Joliet, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose and Joliet, IL differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($1,924 vs $2,572 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,886 in San Jose and $3,857 in Joliet, IL 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 $1,619 in Joliet, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,005 in San Jose versus $1,282 in Joliet, IL. 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 $75.0 in Joliet, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $2,572 in Joliet, IL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Joliet, IL. 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.

Safety-wise, San Jose and Joliet, IL 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 San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Joliet, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.