Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Santa Ana Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Santa Ana

😐 Solo nomad: San Jose is 18.7% more expensive than Santa Ana without rent, and 3.1% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: San Jose is 5.4% more expensive than Santa Ana without rent, and 6.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Jose
Santa Ana
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.75 β‚‘5,089
$9.70 β‚‘4,588
10.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.1 β‚‘28.4K
$60.8 β‚‘28.8K
-1.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.05 β‚‘4,757
$9.43 β‚‘4,463
6.57%
Cappuccino
$3.90 β‚‘1,847
$3.76 β‚‘1,779
3.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 β‚‘969
$1.93 β‚‘914
6.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 β‚‘782
$1.58 β‚‘749
4.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.92 β‚‘1,383
$2.93 β‚‘1,387
-0.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.78 β‚‘2,260
$4.60 β‚‘2,176
3.91%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
San Jose
Santa Ana
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.05 β‚‘970
$2.03 β‚‘961
0.99%
White Bread (500g)
$2.86 β‚‘1,352
$2.86 β‚‘1,355
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.21 β‚‘1,045
$2.22 β‚‘1,051
-0.45%
Eggs
$3.01 β‚‘1,423
$2.93 β‚‘1,388
2.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.79 β‚‘4,631
$9.84 β‚‘4,655
-0.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.39 β‚‘4,442
$9.07 β‚‘4,291
3.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.61 β‚‘6,439
$13.65 β‚‘6,461
-0.29%
Apples (1kg)
$4.44 β‚‘2,100
$4.61 β‚‘2,182
-3.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 β‚‘688
$1.44 β‚‘682
0.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.28 β‚‘2,024
$1.63 β‚‘773
162.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.46 β‚‘1,637
$3.37 β‚‘1,597
2.67%
Potato (1kg)
$3.57 β‚‘1,691
$2.85 β‚‘1,349
25.26%
Onion (1kg)
$3.12 β‚‘1,475
$3.22 β‚‘1,524
-3.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.96 β‚‘454
$0.98 β‚‘461
-2.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.94 β‚‘1,389
$2.18 β‚‘1,030
34.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.13 β‚‘2,429
$5.33 β‚‘2,523
-3.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.99 β‚‘9,458
$13.81 β‚‘6,536
44.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 β‚‘1,181
$2.44 β‚‘1,154
2.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 β‚‘1,364
$2.61 β‚‘1,236
10.34%
🚌 Getting Around
San Jose
Santa Ana
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.95 β‚‘450
$0.97 β‚‘457
-2.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.57 β‚‘19.2K
$19.93 β‚‘9,430
103.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.87 β‚‘885
$1.88 β‚‘890
-0.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.78 β‚‘845
$1.79 β‚‘848
-0.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.81 β‚‘3,696
$3.99 β‚‘1,890
95.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 β‚‘662
$1.44 β‚‘682
-2.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K β‚‘18.1M
$30.5K β‚‘14.4M
25.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.2K β‚‘15.2M
$32.9K β‚‘15.6M
-2.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Jose
Santa Ana
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$95.4 β‚‘45.1K
$80.3 β‚‘38.0K
18.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.62 β‚‘12.1K
$25.98 β‚‘12.3K
-1.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.7 β‚‘28.7K
$46.14 β‚‘21.8K
31.53%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
San Jose
Santa Ana
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.5 β‚‘27.2K
$56.9 β‚‘26.9K
1.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$37.65 β‚‘17.8K
$23.96 β‚‘11.3K
57.14%
Cinema Ticket
$9.98 β‚‘4,723
$10.05 β‚‘4,753
-0.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Jose
Santa Ana
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$559 β‚‘264.7K
$558 β‚‘264.0K
0.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.7K β‚‘6.0M
$12.9K β‚‘6.1M
-1.19%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
San Jose
Santa Ana
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.5 β‚‘29.1K
$62.4 β‚‘29.5K
-1.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.1 β‚‘24.2K
$51.8 β‚‘24.5K
-1.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$125 β‚‘59.2K
$125 β‚‘59.0K
0.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 β‚‘50.6K
$108 β‚‘51.2K
-1.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Jose
Santa Ana
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$874 β‚‘413.7K
$897 β‚‘424.5K
-2.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$531 β‚‘251.1K
$634 β‚‘299.9K
-16.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,466 β‚‘693.8K
$1,497 β‚‘708.3K
-2.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,048 β‚‘495.7K
$1,422 β‚‘672.8K
-26.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,300 β‚‘1.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,743 β‚‘824.6K
$1,490 β‚‘705.1K
16.95%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
San Jose
Santa Ana
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$985 β‚‘466.2K
$1,486 β‚‘702.9K
-33.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.17
10
1.70%

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

Last update for San Jose: March 1, 2026

Last update for Santa Ana: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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