Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Sterling

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,824 in Sterling, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Sterling
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Sterling Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Sterling

🇺🇸 United States

$2,824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Sterling

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

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $2,824 in Sterling, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Sterling $2,824

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $4,327 in Sterling, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Sterling $4,327

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $5,831 in Sterling, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Sterling $5,831

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

Both San Jose and Sterling sit above the global median – San Jose by 44%, Sterling by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$19.32 $19.32

-35.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$75.4 $75.4

-19.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$11.84 $11.84

-3.29%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$5.90 $5.90

-25.59%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$2.98 $2.98

-9.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$2.48 $2.48

-22.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$5.42 $5.42

-40.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$7.91 $7.91

-44.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.05 $1.05

132.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$4.01 $4.01

-23.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$5.11 $5.11

-52.84%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$5.61 $5.61

-39.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$17.11 $17.11

-37.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$14.54 $14.54

-28.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$18.87 $18.87

-25.86%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$5.58 $5.58

-5.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$2.34 $2.34

-32.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$5.05 $5.05

-7.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$5.88 $5.88

-32.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$2.82 $2.82

39.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$3.83 $3.83

-3.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.26 $2.26

-50.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$2.64 $2.64

20.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$9.90 $9.90

-39.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$13.96 $13.96

40.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$2.32 $2.32

21.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$5.54 $5.54

-35.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$4.96 $4.96

-77.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.98 $2.98

-16.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.41 $1.41

15.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$22.86 $22.86

-62.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.04 $1.04

50.00%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$36.0K $36.0K

-37.68%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$25.1K $25.1K

41.83%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$156 $156

-39.08%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$50.5 $50.5

-29.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$79.1 $79.1

-25.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$29.37 $29.37

147.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$18.12 $18.12

-58.17%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$1,918 $1,918

-47.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$32.2K $32.2K

-46.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$52.8 $52.8

33.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$45.11 $45.11

23.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$87.7 $87.7

47.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$107 $107

21.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$1,255 $1,255

-26.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$1,512 $1,512

-48.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$2,025 $2,025

-2.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$2,875 $2,875

-55.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$3,239 $3,239

-29.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$2,372 $2,372

-22.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

$3,714 $3,714

-72.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.63

30.02%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sterling: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Sterling

$1.5K 53.6% 95.3% $738

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Sterling

$473 16.8% 18% $72

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Sterling

$326 11.5% 42% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Sterling

$286 10.1% 50.9% $96

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Sterling

$132 4.7% 24.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Sterling

$66 2.3% 25.3% $22

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Sterling

$30 * 1.1% 63.5% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $927 in San Jose versus $1,255 in Sterling. 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 265% higher in Sterling, 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 $61.0 in San Jose versus $75.0 in Sterling. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $473 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Sterling

🕒 Local time

10:54 10:54 AM

11:54 11:54 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

14,782

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Sterling 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Sterling

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 Sterling: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sterling is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,907 per month in San Jose and $4,236 in Sterling. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,938 in San Jose and $2,824 in Sterling. That's a gap of about 46%.

Kindergarten costs $1,001 per month in San Jose and $1,918 in Sterling. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,938, than in Sterling at $2,824. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sterling it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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