Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Rosa, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $3,481 in Santa Rosa, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Santa Rosa, CA
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Santa Rosa, CA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Santa Rosa, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,481

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,481 per month in Santa Rosa, CA vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Santa Rosa, CA $3,481
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $5,079 per month in Santa Rosa, CA vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Santa Rosa, CA $5,079
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $6,677 per month in Santa Rosa, CA vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Santa Rosa, CA $6,677
San Jose $3,857

Santa Rosa, CA costs about 79% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Rosa, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Santa Rosa, CA by 160%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.61 $24.61

$12.22 ₡5,510

101.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 $99.6

$60.1 ₡27.1K

65.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.99 $11.99

$11.77 ₡5,305

1.87%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$4.30 ₡1,939

53.49%

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

$3.33 $3.33

$2.72 ₡1,226

22.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.84 ₡830

78.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.84 $7.84

$3.28 ₡1,480

139.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.16 $9.16

$4.36 ₡1,966

110.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.38 ₡1,074

-38.24%

White Bread (500g)

$4.45 $4.45

$3.12 ₡1,408

42.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.41 ₡1,086

95.02%

Eggs

$5.49 $5.49

$3.47 ₡1,564

58.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.74 $22.74

$10.57 ₡4,767

115.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.48 $14.48

$10.56 ₡4,758

37.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.56 $20.56

$13.75 ₡6,196

49.53%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$5.04 ₡2,274

15.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.61 ₡727

72.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.10 $7.10

$4.59 ₡2,069

54.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.02 $7.02

$3.84 ₡1,731

82.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$3.77 ₡1,700

-0.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.76 ₡1,693

-1.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.12 ₡506

190.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$3.20 ₡1,441

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.14 $12.14

$5.84 ₡2,632

107.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 $13.89

$19.73 ₡8,897

-29.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.75 ₡1,240

-20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$3.66 ₡1,650

-41.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.12 ₡503

35.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.54 $45.54

$65.1 ₡29.4K

-30.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.46 ₡1,110

58.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.54 ₡692

26.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.58 $28.58

$8.46 ₡3,815

237.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.55 ₡699

-3.23%

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

$36.9K $36.9K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

70.17%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-21.12%

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

$192 $192

$94.7 ₡42.7K

103.05%

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

$51.2 $51.2

$35.11 ₡15.8K

45.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.6 $72.6

$58.6 ₡26.4K

24.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.7 $71.7

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-0.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.78 $13.78

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-45.30%

Cinema Ticket

$14.30 $14.30

$7.83 ₡3,532

82.63%

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

$1,271 $1,271

$971 ₡437.9K

30.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K $39.2K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

130.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 $52.1

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-27.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 $40.02

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-27.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$129 ₡58.2K

-11.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$133 ₡60.0K

-4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,392 $2,392

$934 ₡420.9K

156.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,933 $1,933

$770 ₡347.2K

151.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,652 $3,652

$1,945 ₡876.7K

87.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,087 $3,087

$1,316 ₡593.5K

134.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,571 $4,571

$2,277 ₡1.0M

100.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,741 $4,741

$1,795 ₡809.1K

164.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,649 $4,649

$1,006 ₡453.5K

362.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

8.62

-25.06%

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

Last update for Santa Rosa, CA: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Rosa, CA

$1.9K 55.7%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 60.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Rosa, CA

$511 14.7%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 21.9% $112

Eating Out

Santa Rosa, CA

$396 11.4%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 42.4% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Rosa, CA

$316 9.1%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 40.4% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Rosa, CA

$150 4.3%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 16.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Rosa, CA

$100 2.9%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 12.5% $13

Getting Around

Santa Rosa, CA

$65 1.9%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 22.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,392 in Santa Rosa, CA versus $934 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 run about 362% higher in Santa Rosa, CA, 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 $100 in Santa Rosa, CA versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $511 vs $399 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Rosa, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

05:43 5:43 AM

06:43 6:43 AM

1 h ahead of Santa Rosa, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,972

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Rosa, CA San Jose 4,980 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Rosa, CA
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 Rosa, CA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Rosa, CA is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,221 per month in Santa Rosa, CA and $2,924 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Santa Rosa, CA and $60.0 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 $3,481 in Santa Rosa, CA and $1,949 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 79%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in Santa Rosa, CA at $3,481. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Rosa, CA 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Rosa, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.