Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Urbana, IL

For one person, living costs are similar in San Jose and in Urbana, IL: $1,924 and $1,871 a month, rent and utilities included.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Urbana, IL
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Urbana, IL Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Urbana, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Urbana, IL

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

A single person spends $1,924 per month in San Jose vs $1,871 in Urbana, IL, rent included.

San Jose $1,924
Urbana, IL $1,871

A couple spends around $2,926 per month in San Jose vs $2,123 in Urbana, IL, rent included.

San Jose $2,926
Urbana, IL $2,123

A family of three spends $3,929 per month in San Jose vs $2,374 in Urbana, IL, rent included.

San Jose $3,929
Urbana, IL $2,374

San Jose costs about 3% more than Urbana, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Jose and Urbana, IL sit above the global median – San Jose by 42%, Urbana, IL by 38%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,513

$14.83 $14.83

-17.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡27.9K

$59.0 $59.0

5.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 ₡5,171

$9.95 $9.95

15.88%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,953

$4.71 $4.71

-7.64%

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

$2.64 ₡1,183

$2.25 $2.25

17.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡836

$1.77 $1.77

5.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,490

$5.46 $5.46

-39.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,026

$5.65 $5.65

-20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$0.78 $0.78

206.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,381

$3.03 $3.03

1.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$3.01 $3.01

-16.94%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,562

$3.82 $3.82

-8.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,815

$12.23 $12.23

-12.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,629

$8.95 $8.95

15.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,325

$14.14 $14.14

-0.28%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,256

$4.02 $4.02

25.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$1.63 $1.63

-2.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 ₡2,171

$3.18 $3.18

52.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,776

$4.54 $4.54

-12.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,684

$2.23 $2.23

68.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$2.65 $2.65

40.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡485

$2.30 $2.30

-53.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,456

$1.37 $1.37

137.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,627

$12.21 $12.21

-52.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 ₡9,095

$15.22 $15.22

33.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.08 $2.08

39.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ₡1,673

$3.51 $3.51

6.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

$0.99 $0.99

9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$3.03 $3.03

-17.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

$0.59 $0.59

176.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

$25.08 $25.08

-65.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡709

$1.16 $1.16

36.21%

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

$33.6K ₡15.1M

$27.7K $27.7K

21.35%

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

$41.7K ₡18.7M

$26.3K $26.3K

58.49%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$242 $242

-61.24%

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

$35.42 ₡15.9K

$44.28 $44.28

-20.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡26.9K

$60.7 $60.7

-1.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,471

$13.14 $13.14

-41.10%

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

$1,005 ₡450.9K

$1,003 $1,003

0.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$20.4K $20.4K

-16.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 ₡32.8K

$48.69 $48.69

50.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$50.8 $50.8

9.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$97.7 $97.7

31.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.5K

$121 $121

8.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ₡418.0K

$866 $866

7.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡340.8K

$746 $746

1.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.0M

$1,774 $1,774

29.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ₡821.9K

$1,732 $1,732

5.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

$6,774 $6,774

-84.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.82

26.39%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Last update for Urbana, IL: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$760 39.5%

Urbana, IL

$746 39.9% 1.9% $14

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 21%

Urbana, IL

$340 18.2% 15.7% $63

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.9%

Urbana, IL

$260 13.9% 13.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Urbana, IL

$347 18.5% 83.3% $158

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9.1%

Urbana, IL

$143 7.6% 17.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Urbana, IL

$26 * 1.4% 70.2% $62

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.2%

Urbana, IL

$10 * 0.5% 87.6% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $932 in San Jose versus $866 in Urbana, IL. 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 559% higher in Urbana, IL, 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 $62.0 in San Jose versus $59.0 in Urbana, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $340 – making Urbana, IL the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Urbana, IL

🕒 Local time

14:47 2:47 PM

15:47 3:47 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

41,250

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Urbana, IL 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Urbana, IL

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 Urbana, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,886 per month in San Jose and $2,807 in Urbana, IL. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Urbana, IL, 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 $1,924 in San Jose and $1,871 in Urbana, IL. That's a gap of about 3%.

Kindergarten costs $1,005 per month in San Jose and $1,003 in Urbana, IL. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Urbana, IL, where all-in costs run around $1,871, than in San Jose at $1,924. In Urbana, IL it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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