Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Lexington, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,516 in Lexington, MA, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Lexington, MA
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Lexington, MA Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Lexington, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Lexington, MA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,516 in Lexington, MA.

San Jose $2,107
Lexington, MA $2,516

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $4,447 in Lexington, MA.

San Jose $3,081
Lexington, MA $4,447

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $6,379 in Lexington, MA.

San Jose $4,054
Lexington, MA $6,379

Living in San Jose costs roughly 16% less than in Lexington, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, Lexington, MA 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$20.22 $20.22

-38.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$76.3 $76.3

-18.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$16.12 $16.12

-27.36%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$5.06 $5.06

-10.28%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.78 $2.78

-1.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$2.05 $2.05

-9.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$6.89 $6.89

-51.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$7.92 $7.92

-45.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.07 $1.07

120.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$3.34 $3.34

-8.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$4.65 $4.65

-46.02%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.81 $3.81

-7.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$11.24 $11.24

-6.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$12.30 $12.30

-14.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$15.28 $15.28

-8.90%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$4.86 $4.86

7.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.87 $1.87

-11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$4.53 $4.53

7.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$4.26 $4.26

-9.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.49 $2.49

57.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.87 $2.87

31.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.30 $2.30

-51.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$2.42 $2.42

33.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$11.21 $11.21

-46.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$15.05 $15.05

31.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.02 $2.02

39.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$2.96 $2.96

23.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.88 $1.88

-42.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$51.9 $51.9

25.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.92 $3.92

-42.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.62 $1.62

9.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$33.86 $33.86

-76.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.04 $1.04

44.23%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$30.9K $30.9K

8.20%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$28.6K $28.6K

48.13%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$211 $211

-55.80%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$58.4 $58.4

-38.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$69.2 $69.2

-12.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$39.76 $39.76

73.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$13.95 $13.95

-45.02%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$1,387 $1,387

-29.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$20.5K $20.5K

-8.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$51.3 $51.3

37.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$43.61 $43.61

29.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$87.3 $87.3

47.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$123 $123

6.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,433 $1,433

-18.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,169 $1,169

-19.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,782 $2,782

-28.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$3,439 $3,439

-59.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$2,785 $2,785

-3.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$2,337 $2,337

-12.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.79

26.95%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lexington, MA: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Lexington, MA

$1.2K 46.5% 23.9% $226

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Lexington, MA

$392 15.6% 2.7% $11

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Lexington, MA

$340 13.5% 46.5% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Lexington, MA

$338 13.5% 78.2% $149

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Lexington, MA

$137 5.5% 21.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Lexington, MA

$68 2.7% 19.7% $17

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Lexington, MA

$71 2.8% 11.5% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in San Jose and $1,433 in Lexington, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $76 in Lexington, MA. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $392, with Lexington, MA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Lexington, MA

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

15:30 3:30 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

322,570

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Lexington, MA 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Lexington, MA

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 Lexington, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,107 in San Jose and $2,516 in Lexington, MA, so San Jose is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,161 in San Jose and $3,774 in Lexington, MA 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: $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,433 in Lexington, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lexington, MA pay roughly 3% 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 $62 versus $76 in Lexington, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,516 in Lexington, MA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Lexington, MA. 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.