Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Fe, NM and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,850 in Santa Fe, NM, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santa Fe, NM outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

138

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe, NM
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Santa Fe, NM Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Santa Fe, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,850

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Fe, NM 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 Fe, NM and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,850 per month in Santa Fe, NM vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Santa Fe, NM $2,850
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,895 per month in Santa Fe, NM vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Santa Fe, NM $3,895
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,940 per month in Santa Fe, NM vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Santa Fe, NM $4,940
San Jose $4,054

Santa Fe, NM costs about 35% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Fe, NM and San Jose sit above the global median – Santa Fe, NM by 111%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.85 $16.85

$12.37 ₡5,563

36.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.5 $60.5

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-3.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 $9.87

$11.71 ₡5,264

-15.71%

Cappuccino

$4.93 $4.93

$4.54 ₡2,040

8.59%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$2.75 ₡1,238

5.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.86 ₡837

24.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 $6.05

$3.35 ₡1,505

80.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 $6.90

$4.32 ₡1,944

59.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.36 ₡1,061

-61.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.07 ₡1,379

3.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.51 ₡1,128

75.30%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$3.53 ₡1,585

21.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 $11.76

$10.54 ₡4,738

11.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$10.57 ₡4,754

-10.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 $16.97

$13.92 ₡6,261

21.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$5.20 ₡2,338

-5.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.65 ₡740

-10.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$4.89 ₡2,198

-20.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$3.84 ₡1,728

14.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$3.91 ₡1,757

-17.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$3.76 ₡1,692

-46.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.12 ₡504

83.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.22 ₡1,447

-23.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.82 $10.82

$6.02 ₡2,706

79.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.21 $16.21

$19.84 ₡8,919

-18.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.81 ₡1,264

-27.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.65 ₡1,643

-2.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.08 ₡487

-10.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.07 $20.07

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-69.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.26 ₡1,018

54.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.78 ₡799

24.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.87 $34.87

$7.90 ₡3,551

341.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.50 ₡673

-28.00%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-19.80%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-40.07%

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

$160 $160

$93.2 ₡41.9K

71.22%

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

$44.85 $44.85

$36.13 ₡16.2K

24.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 $68.9

$60.6 ₡27.2K

13.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 $68.0

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-1.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 $13.05

$7.67 ₡3,449

70.14%

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

$1,353 $1,353

$972 ₡436.9K

39.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K $22.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

20.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 $54.0

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-23.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 $44.19

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-22.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.0 $79.0

$129 ₡57.8K

-38.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$131 ₡58.8K

-11.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 $2,184

$1,170 ₡525.9K

86.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,642 $1,642

$943 ₡424.1K

74.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,929 $2,929

$1,984 ₡892.0K

47.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,314 $2,314

$1,400 ₡629.5K

65.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,131 $6,131

$2,681 ₡1.2M

128.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,761 $3,761

$2,037 ₡915.8K

84.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,862 $3,862

$987 ₡443.6K

291.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Santa Fe, NM: 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 Fe, NM

$1.6K 57.6%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 42.6% $699

Groceries & Markets

Santa Fe, NM

$381 13.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 5.6% $21

Eating Out

Santa Fe, NM

$289 10.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 19.5% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Fe, NM

$273 9.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 30.5% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Fe, NM

$132 4.6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 31.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Fe, NM

$94 3.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 10.4% $9.8

Getting Around

Santa Fe, NM

$39 1.4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 109% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,184 in Santa Fe, NM 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.

Salaries in Santa Fe, NM are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Santa Fe, NM versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $403 – making Santa Fe, NM the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Fe, NM

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

16:41 4:41 PM

1 h ahead of Santa Fe, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,505

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Fe, NM San Jose 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Fe, NM
San Jose

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

Santa Fe, NM vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Fe, NM is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,275 per month in Santa Fe, NM 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 San Jose, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $2,184 in Santa Fe, NM.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Santa Fe, NM and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,850 in Santa Fe, NM and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 26% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Santa Fe, NM at $2,850. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Fe, NM 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.

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