Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Medford, OR

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,105 a month against $2,476 in Medford, OR, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
119

Cost of Living Index in Medford, OR
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Medford, OR Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Medford, OR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,476

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Medford, OR

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 Medford, OR actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,105 in San Jose versus $2,476 in Medford, OR.

San Jose $2,105
Medford, OR $2,476

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,074 in San Jose versus $3,565 in Medford, OR.

San Jose $3,074
Medford, OR $3,565

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,043 in San Jose versus $4,653 in Medford, OR.

San Jose $4,043
Medford, OR $4,653

Living in San Jose costs roughly 15% less than in Medford, OR, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 55% above, Medford, OR 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.43 ₡5,609

$19.96 $19.96

-37.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.5K

$62.8 $62.8

-3.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 ₡5,288

$10.41 $10.41

12.58%

Cappuccino

$4.47 ₡2,019

$4.73 $4.73

-5.50%

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

$2.75 ₡1,241

$2.44 $2.44

12.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡867

$1.50 $1.50

28.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 ₡1,470

$5.92 $5.92

-44.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡2,009

$6.29 $6.29

-29.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,063

$1.17 $1.17

101.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 ₡1,393

$3.18 $3.18

-2.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,083

$8.27 $8.27

-70.98%

Eggs

$3.44 ₡1,553

$4.19 $4.19

-17.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,841

$21.31 $21.31

-49.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,674

$10.17 $10.17

1.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ₡6,243

$15.30 $15.30

-9.54%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 ₡2,323

$4.13 $4.13

24.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡746

$1.58 $1.58

4.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,109

$5.30 $5.30

-11.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 ₡1,798

$5.11 $5.11

-22.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,761

$2.85 $2.85

36.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 ₡1,647

$2.90 $2.90

25.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.65 $2.65

-59.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,398

$3.18 $3.18

-2.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 ₡2,745

$11.08 $11.08

-45.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.05 ₡9,047

$13.38 $13.38

49.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,252

$1.75 $1.75

58.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,666

$3.40 $3.40

8.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.98 $1.98

-43.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

$47.17 $47.17

41.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,122

$2.86 $2.86

-12.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡735

$2.43 $2.43

-32.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 ₡3,821

$44.52 $44.52

-80.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.22 $1.22

28.69%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$28.4K $28.4K

21.82%

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

$42.3K ₡19.1M

$23.8K $23.8K

78.20%

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

$93.2 ₡42.0K

$203 $203

-54.00%

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

$36.05 ₡16.3K

$70.2 $70.2

-48.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 ₡26.7K

$77.6 $77.6

-23.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₡31.1K

$17.33 $17.33

298.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ₡3,543

$11.60 $11.60

-32.33%

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

$996 ₡449.4K

$1,022 $1,022

-2.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$8,159 $8,159

108.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 ₡31.6K

$57.9 $57.9

21.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.9K

$38.84 $38.84

42.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.5K

$107 $107

20.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡59.2K

$113 $113

16.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₡525.2K

$1,258 $1,258

-7.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 ₡426.4K

$1,131 $1,131

-16.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 ₡899.4K

$1,944 $1,944

2.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 ₡633.4K

$1,768 $1,768

-20.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 ₡1.2M

$3,305 $3,305

-17.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ₡920.7K

$2,784 $2,784

-26.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ₡456.1K

$3,592 $3,592

-71.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.54

31.80%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medford, OR: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$945 44.9%

Medford, OR

$1.1K 45.7% 19.7% $186

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 19%

Medford, OR

$436 17.6% 9.2% $37

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Medford, OR

$306 12.3% 31.6% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9%

Medford, OR

$350 14.2% 86% $162

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Medford, OR

$143 5.8% 18% $31

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$85 4%

Medford, OR

$41 1.6% 52.2% $44

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 3.9%

Medford, OR

$70 2.8% 14.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,164 in San Jose and $1,258 in Medford, OR. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medford, OR pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in San Jose vs $63 in Medford, OR for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $436 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Medford, OR

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

17:12 5:12 PM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

56,173

💱 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 = 0.898 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Medford, OR 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Medford, OR

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 Medford, OR: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Medford, OR. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in San Jose. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,164 in San Jose versus $1,258 in Medford, OR. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Medford, OR. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $61 versus $63 in Medford, OR. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Medford, OR on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.