Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Lakewood, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $3,284 in Lakewood, WA, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 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
158

Cost of Living Index in Lakewood, WA
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Lakewood, WA Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Lakewood, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Lakewood, WA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,924 in San Jose versus $3,284 in Lakewood, WA.

San Jose $1,924
Lakewood, WA $3,284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,926 in San Jose versus $4,777 in Lakewood, WA.

San Jose $2,926
Lakewood, WA $4,777

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,929 in San Jose versus $6,270 in Lakewood, WA.

San Jose $3,929
Lakewood, WA $6,270

Living in San Jose costs roughly 41% less than in Lakewood, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 42% above, Lakewood, WA 142% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,513

$18.09 $18.09

-32.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡27.9K

$67.6 $67.6

-7.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 ₡5,171

$12.71 $12.71

-9.28%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,953

$5.20 $5.20

-16.35%

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

$2.64 ₡1,183

$2.98 $2.98

-11.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡836

$2.05 $2.05

-9.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,490

$3.90 $3.90

-14.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,026

$6.10 $6.10

-25.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$1.02 $1.02

134.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,381

$3.68 $3.68

-16.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$4.24 $4.24

-41.04%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,562

$3.92 $3.92

-11.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,815

$13.72 $13.72

-21.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,629

$8.69 $8.69

18.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,325

$11.21 $11.21

25.78%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,256

$4.38 $4.38

14.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$1.94 $1.94

-18.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 ₡2,171

$4.16 $4.16

16.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,776

$4.52 $4.52

-12.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,684

$1.97 $1.97

90.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$2.15 $2.15

73.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡485

$2.02 $2.02

-46.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,456

$2.49 $2.49

30.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,627

$12.36 $12.36

-52.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 ₡9,095

$15.84 $15.84

28.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.98 $1.98

46.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ₡1,673

$4.15 $4.15

-10.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

$2.04 $2.04

-47.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

$197 $197

-66.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$2.02 $2.02

23.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

$0.64 $0.64

154.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

$27.31 $27.31

-68.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡709

$1.34 $1.34

17.91%

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

$33.6K ₡15.1M

$28.1K $28.1K

19.59%

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

$41.7K ₡18.7M

$26.3K $26.3K

58.41%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$289 $289

-67.56%

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

$35.42 ₡15.9K

$74.0 $74.0

-52.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡26.9K

$89.5 $89.5

-32.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$41.00 $41.00

77.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

$24.97 $24.97

3.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,471

$18.08 $18.08

-57.19%

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

$1,005 ₡450.9K

$1,965 $1,965

-48.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$25.7K $25.7K

-34.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 ₡32.8K

$50.1 $50.1

45.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$38.11 $38.11

45.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$100 $100

28.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.5K

$136 $136

-4.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ₡418.0K

$1,961 $1,961

-52.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡340.8K

$1,733 $1,733

-56.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

$3,365 $3,365

-42.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

$3,047 $3,047

-58.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.0M

$2,359 $2,359

-2.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ₡821.9K

$2,606 $2,606

-29.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.81

26.58%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lakewood, WA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$760 39.5%

Lakewood, WA

$1.7K 52.8% 128% $973

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 21%

Lakewood, WA

$369 11.2% 8.6% $35

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.9%

Lakewood, WA

$297 9.1% 29.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Lakewood, WA

$452 13.8% 139% $263

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9.1%

Lakewood, WA

$146 4.5% 16.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Lakewood, WA

$77 2.4% 12.4% $11

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.2%

Lakewood, WA

$210 6.4% 161% $130

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $932 in San Jose and $1,961 in Lakewood, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in San Jose vs $68.0 in Lakewood, WA. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $369, with Lakewood, WA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Lakewood, WA

🕒 Local time

05:44 5:44 AM

04:44 4:44 AM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

140,024

💱 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 Lakewood, WA 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Lakewood, WA

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 Lakewood, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose and Lakewood, WA differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($1,924 vs $3,284 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 $4,926 in Lakewood, WA 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 $1,961 in Lakewood, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $68.0 in Lakewood, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,924 per month in San Jose versus $3,284 in Lakewood, WA – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,924 in San Jose versus $3,284 in Lakewood, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Lakewood, WA. 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 Lakewood, WA 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 71% less than in Lakewood, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.