Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Clara and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Clara: $959 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Santa Clara
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Santa Clara Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Santa Clara

🇨🇺 Cuba

$959

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Clara and in San Jose

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santa Clara and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $959 per month in Santa Clara vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Santa Clara $959
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $1,438 per month in Santa Clara vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Santa Clara $1,438
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $1,918 per month in Santa Clara vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Santa Clara $1,918
San Jose $4,054

Santa Clara is about 54% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santa Clara sits 29% below the global median, while San Jose is 56% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.54 CUP 85.1

$12.37 ₡5,563

-71.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.57 CUP 662

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-55.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 CUP 116

$11.71 ₡5,264

-58.58%

Cappuccino

$1.05 CUP 25.09

$4.54 ₡2,040

-76.87%

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

$1.54 CUP 36.95

$2.75 ₡1,238

-44.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 CUP 22.26

$1.86 ₡837

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 CUP 29.37

$3.35 ₡1,505

-63.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 CUP 46.93

$4.32 ₡1,944

-54.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.82 CUP 67.7

$2.36 ₡1,061

19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 CUP 35.24

$3.07 ₡1,379

-52.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 CUP 42.95

$2.51 ₡1,128

-28.69%

Eggs

$3.53 CUP 84.6

$3.53 ₡1,585

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.56 CUP 110

$10.54 ₡4,738

-56.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.70 CUP 113

$10.57 ₡4,754

-55.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.29 CUP 199

$13.92 ₡6,261

-40.45%

Apples (1kg)

$6.18 CUP 148

$5.20 ₡2,338

18.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 CUP 24.54

$1.65 ₡740

-38.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 CUP 92.1

$4.89 ₡2,198

-21.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 CUP 54.5

$3.84 ₡1,728

-40.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CUP 70.2

$3.91 ₡1,757

-25.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 CUP 67.7

$3.76 ₡1,692

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 CUP 17.58

$1.12 ₡504

-34.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 CUP 13.64

$3.22 ₡1,447

-82.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 CUP 39.23

$6.02 ₡2,706

-72.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 CUP 124

$19.84 ₡8,919

-73.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 CUP 42.50

$2.81 ₡1,264

-37.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 CUP 51.5

$3.65 ₡1,643

-41.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 CUP 61.0

$2.26 ₡1,018

12.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 CUP 7.99

$1.78 ₡799

-81.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.92 CUP 478

$7.90 ₡3,551

152.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 CUP 30.49

$1.50 ₡673

-15.33%

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

$60.0K CUP 1.4M

$33.5K ₡15.1M

79.38%

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

$59.4K CUP 1.4M

$42.3K ₡19.0M

40.56%

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

$46.56 CUP 1,118

$93.2 ₡41.9K

-50.04%

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

$38.76 CUP 930

$36.13 ₡16.2K

7.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.2 CUP 2,164

$60.6 ₡27.2K

48.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$0.89 CUP 21.41

$7.67 ₡3,449

-88.40%

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

$158 CUP 3,786

$972 ₡436.9K

-83.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K CUP 299.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-33.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 CUP 1,239

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-26.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.15 CUP 1,012

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-25.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.7 CUP 1,936

$129 ₡57.8K

-37.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.5 CUP 1,573

$131 ₡58.8K

-49.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$347 CUP 8,317

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-70.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 CUP 8,553

$943 ₡424.1K

-62.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$762 CUP 18.3K

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-61.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 CUP 14.4K

$1,400 ₡629.5K

-57.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$276 CUP 6,621

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-89.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$296 CUP 7,094

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-85.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

8.62

5.57%

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

Last update for Santa Clara: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Clara

$356 37.2%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 165% $587

Groceries & Markets

Santa Clara

$238 24.8%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 69.5% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Clara

$176 18.3%

San Jose

$190 9% 8.2% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Clara

$108 11.3%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 61.2% $66

Eating Out

Santa Clara

$75 7.9%

San Jose

$232 11% 208% $157

Getting Around

Santa Clara

$4.2 * 0.4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 1817% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Clara

$1.8 * 0.2%

San Jose

$84 4% 4634% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $347 in Santa Clara versus $1,170 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Santa Clara versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $403 – making Santa Clara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Santa Clara

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

1 h behind Santa Clara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

216,056

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.95 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Clara San Jose 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Clara
San Jose

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Santa Clara vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,438 per month in Santa Clara and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Clara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $347 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $959 in Santa Clara and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes Santa Clara about 54% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $158 per month in Santa Clara and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $959 in Santa Clara and $2,107 in San Jose. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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