Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and London, KY

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,363 in London, KY, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London, KY outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in London, KY
Learn more

London, KY Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

London, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in London, KY

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,363 in London, KY.

San Jose $2,107
London, KY $2,363

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $3,389 in London, KY.

San Jose $3,081
London, KY $3,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $4,414 in London, KY.

San Jose $4,054
London, KY $4,414

Living in San Jose costs roughly 11% less than in London, KY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, London, KY 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$14.81 $14.81

-16.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$50.7 $50.7

23.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$9.02 $9.02

29.82%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$4.77 $4.77

-4.82%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.05 $2.05

34.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.65 $1.65

12.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$5.06 $5.06

-33.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$4.86 $4.86

-11.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$0.75 $0.75

214.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.70 $2.70

13.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$4.03 $4.03

-37.72%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.04 $3.04

16.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$12.83 $12.83

-17.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$7.10 $7.10

48.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$15.93 $15.93

-12.62%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$3.06 $3.06

69.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.41 $1.41

17.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$1.99 $1.99

145.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$2.20 $2.20

74.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$1.97 $1.97

98.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$1.75 $1.75

114.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.36 $1.36

-17.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.92 $1.92

67.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$9.71 $9.71

-38.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$15.14 $15.14

31.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.10 $2.10

33.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$2.99 $2.99

22.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.04 $2.04

-47.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$52.1 $52.1

25.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.65 $3.65

-38.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.26 $1.26

41.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$24.76 $24.76

-68.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$0.96 $0.96

56.25%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$36.1K $36.1K

-7.30%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$26.5K $26.5K

59.85%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$150 $150

-37.89%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$79.5 $79.5

-54.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$71.5 $71.5

-15.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$34.05 $34.05

102.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$15.14 $15.14

-49.34%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$450 $450

115.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$25.8K $25.8K

-26.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$30.27 $30.27

133.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$22.44 $22.44

152.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$74.1 $74.1

73.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$60.3 $60.3

116.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$573 $573

104.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,278 $1,278

-26.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$826 $826

140.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$2,110 $2,110

-33.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$3,034 $3,034

-11.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$2,448 $2,448

-16.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.2

39.03%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for London, KY: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

London, KY

$1.3K 54.1% 35.5% $335

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

London, KY

$312 13.2% 22.5% $91

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

London, KY

$253 10.7% 8.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

London, KY

$301 12.7% 58.5% $111

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

London, KY

$84 3.6% 51.6% $90

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

London, KY

$64 2.7% 23.7% $20

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

London, KY

$70 3% 13% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in San Jose and $573 in London, KY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $51 in London, KY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $312 per month, with London, KY cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 London, KY

🕒 Local time

17:20 5:20 PM

18:20 6:20 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

8,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose London, KY 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
London, KY

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 London, KY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in London, KY. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,161 in San Jose and $3,544 in London, KY 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 $573 in London, KY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in London, KY runs roughly 20% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $972 in San Jose versus $450 in London, KY. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.