Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and San Bernardino, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,815 in San Bernardino, CA, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
139

Cost of Living Index in San Bernardino, CA
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San Bernardino, CA Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

San Bernardino, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in San Bernardino, CA

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 San Bernardino, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,949 per month in San Jose vs $2,815 in San Bernardino, CA, rent included.

San Jose $1,949
San Bernardino, CA $2,815

A couple spends around $2,903 per month in San Jose vs $4,351 in San Bernardino, CA, rent included.

San Jose $2,903
San Bernardino, CA $4,351

A family of three spends $3,857 per month in San Jose vs $5,888 in San Bernardino, CA, rent included.

San Jose $3,857
San Bernardino, CA $5,888

San Jose is about 31% cheaper than San Bernardino, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Jose and San Bernardino, CA sit above the global median – San Jose by 45%, San Bernardino, CA by 110%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$19.93 $19.93

-38.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$76.0 $76.0

-20.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$16.81 $16.81

-29.98%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$5.95 $5.95

-27.73%

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

$2.72 ₡1,226

$3.41 $3.41

-20.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$2.36 $2.36

-22.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$7.04 $7.04

-53.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$9.68 $9.68

-54.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$1.09 $1.09

118.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$4.16 $4.16

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$4.69 $4.69

-48.61%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$4.75 $4.75

-26.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$13.00 $13.00

-18.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$8.97 $8.97

17.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$15.13 $15.13

-9.12%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$4.87 $4.87

3.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$1.84 $1.84

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$3.96 $3.96

15.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$5.53 $5.53

-30.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$3.78 $3.78

-0.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$2.23 $2.23

68.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$1.98 $1.98

-43.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

$1.83 $1.83

74.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$11.70 $11.70

-50.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$14.72 $14.72

34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$2.16 $2.16

27.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$4.37 $4.37

-16.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.96 $1.96

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

$58.3 $58.3

11.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$9.99 $9.99

-75.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.47 $1.47

5.44%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$37.0K $37.0K

-41.37%

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$25.4K $25.4K

37.40%

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

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$221 $221

-57.22%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$67.6 $67.6

-48.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$73.4 $73.4

-20.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$40.32 $40.32

78.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$15.23 $15.23

-48.59%

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

$971 ₡437.9K

$1,171 $1,171

-17.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$17.4K $17.4K

-2.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$62.3 $62.3

14.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$47.93 $47.93

14.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$105 $105

22.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$148 $148

-9.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

$1,819 $1,819

-48.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

$1,448 $1,448

-46.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

$2,589 $2,589

-24.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

$2,754 $2,754

-52.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

$3,645 $3,645

-37.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

$3,609 $3,609

-50.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

$3,444 $3,444

-70.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.39

34.90%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Last update for San Bernardino, CA: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

San Bernardino, CA

$1.4K 50.4% 87.9% $677

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

San Bernardino, CA

$393 13.7% 1.5% $6

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

San Bernardino, CA

$359 12.5% 57.4% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

San Bernardino, CA

$362 12.6% 92.4% $174

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

San Bernardino, CA

$164 5.7% 6.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

San Bernardino, CA

$71 2.5% 19.4% $17

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

San Bernardino, CA

$76 * 2.7% 4.5% $3.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $934 in San Jose versus $1,819 in San Bernardino, CA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 242% higher in San Bernardino, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in San Jose versus $76.0 in San Bernardino, CA. Groceries tell a different story – $399 in San Jose vs $393 in San Bernardino, CA – so San Bernardino, CA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 San Bernardino, CA

🕒 Local time

23:46 11:46 PM

22:46 10:46 PM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

220,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 12, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose San Bernardino, CA 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
San Bernardino, CA

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 San Bernardino, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,949 in San Jose, $2,815 in San Bernardino, CA – roughly 44% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,924 per month in San Jose and $4,222 in San Bernardino, CA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in San Bernardino, CA – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in San Jose and $76.0 in San Bernardino, CA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in San Bernardino, CA at $2,815. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Bernardino, CA 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 $1,949 in San Jose to $2,815 in San Bernardino, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Bernardino, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.