Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Los Alamos, NM

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Alamos, NM: $1,065 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Los Alamos, NM
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Los Alamos, NM Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Los Alamos, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$1,065

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Los Alamos, NM

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 Los Alamos, NM actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
Los Alamos, NM $1,065

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $1,652 in Los Alamos, NM, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
Los Alamos, NM $1,652

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $2,239 in Los Alamos, NM, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
Los Alamos, NM $2,239

San Jose costs about 98% more than Los Alamos, NM, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

San Jose sits 56% above the global median, while Los Alamos, NM is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$17.06 $17.06

-27.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$40.31 $40.31

54.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$9.88 $9.88

18.52%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$4.99 $4.99

-9.02%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.57 $2.57

7.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.47 $1.47

26.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$6.10 $6.10

-45.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$6.99 $6.99

-38.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$0.96 $0.96

145.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.14 $2.14

43.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$4.53 $4.53

-44.59%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.98 $3.98

-11.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$11.84 $11.84

-10.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$9.66 $9.66

9.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$17.42 $17.42

-20.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$4.86 $4.86

7.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.49 $1.49

10.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$2.90 $2.90

68.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$4.37 $4.37

-12.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$1.09 $1.09

258.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$3.38 $3.38

11.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.95 $1.95

-42.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$0.48 $0.48

570.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$11.03 $11.03

-45.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$14.19 $14.19

39.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.39 $2.39

17.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.58 $3.58

1.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.98 $3.98

-43.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$2.16 $2.16

-17.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$34.85 $34.85

-77.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$0.87 $0.87

72.41%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$29.5K $29.5K

13.54%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$25.5K $25.5K

65.73%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$159 $159

-41.34%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$39.48 $39.48

-8.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$71.0 $71.0

-14.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$13.22 $13.22

-41.98%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$1,343 $1,343

-27.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$23.1K $23.1K

-18.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$20.01 $20.01

252.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$42.97 $42.97

31.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$103 $103

24.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$120 $120

9.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,089 $1,089

7.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$1,868 $1,868

6.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$3,337 $3,337

-19.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$3,316 $3,316

-38.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$8,290 $8,290

-88.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.76

27.51%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Los Alamos, NM: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Los Alamos, NM

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Los Alamos, NM

$339 31.8% 15.8% $64

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Los Alamos, NM

$287 26.9% 23.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Los Alamos, NM

$269 25.3% 41.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Los Alamos, NM

$128 12.1% 26.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Los Alamos, NM

$26 * 2.5% 68.6% $58

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Los Alamos, NM

$15 * 1.4% 81.7% $66

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,089 in Los Alamos, NM. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Los Alamos, NM are about 8.4 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose versus $40 in Los Alamos, NM. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $339 – making Los Alamos, NM the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Los Alamos, NM

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

14:43 2:43 PM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

13,179

💱 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 Los Alamos, NM 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Los Alamos, NM

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 Los Alamos, NM: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 98%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $1,597 in Los Alamos, NM. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,170 in San Jose and $1,089 in Los Alamos, NM. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,107 in San Jose and $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM. That makes Los Alamos, NM about 49% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $972 per month in San Jose and $1,343 in Los Alamos, NM. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Los Alamos, NM, where all-in costs run around $1,065, than in San Jose at $2,107. In Los Alamos, NM it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.