Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scranton, PA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,430 in Scranton, PA, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Scranton, PA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Scranton, PA
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Scranton, PA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Scranton, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,430

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,430 per month in Scranton, PA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Scranton, PA $2,430
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,401 per month in Scranton, PA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Scranton, PA $3,401
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,372 per month in Scranton, PA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Scranton, PA $4,372
San Jose $4,054

Scranton, PA costs about 15% more than San Jose.

Both Scranton, PA and San Jose sit above the global median – Scranton, PA by 80%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 $12.14

$12.37 ₡5,563

-1.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 $77.9

$62.4 ₡28.0K

24.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 $6.15

$11.71 ₡5,264

-47.48%

Cappuccino

$4.52 $4.52

$4.54 ₡2,040

-0.44%

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

$1.51 $1.51

$2.75 ₡1,238

-45.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.86 ₡837

-44.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.95 $6.95

$3.35 ₡1,505

107.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 $7.72

$4.32 ₡1,944

78.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$2.36 ₡1,061

-66.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 $1.44

$3.07 ₡1,379

-53.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.51 ₡1,128

-13.94%

Eggs

$3.38 $3.38

$3.53 ₡1,585

-4.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 $10.95

$10.54 ₡4,738

3.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 $8.85

$10.57 ₡4,754

-16.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.18 $11.18

$13.92 ₡6,261

-19.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$5.20 ₡2,338

-30.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.65 ₡740

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$4.89 ₡2,198

-34.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$3.84 ₡1,728

16.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.91 ₡1,757

-25.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.76 ₡1,692

-14.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.12 ₡504

81.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$3.22 ₡1,447

-69.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.92 $8.92

$6.02 ₡2,706

48.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 $12.02

$19.84 ₡8,919

-39.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.81 ₡1,264

3.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.65 ₡1,643

26.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.08 ₡487

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.0 $60.0

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-8.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.26 ₡1,018

20.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.78 ₡799

14.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.80 $19.80

$7.90 ₡3,551

150.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.50 ₡673

-24.00%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.82%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.16%

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

$231 $231

$93.2 ₡41.9K

148.18%

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

$40.10 $40.10

$36.13 ₡16.2K

10.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.54 $49.54

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-18.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.17 $25.17

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-63.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.46 $15.46

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-38.01%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 $11.01

$7.67 ₡3,449

43.55%

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

$775 $775

$972 ₡436.9K

-20.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K $15.1K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-20.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.29 $45.29

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-35.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.44 $29.44

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-48.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 $72.2

$129 ₡57.8K

-43.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 $83.1

$131 ₡58.8K

-36.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$1,170 ₡525.9K

12.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 $1,349

$943 ₡424.1K

43.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,332 $2,332

$1,984 ₡892.0K

17.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,974 $1,974

$1,400 ₡629.5K

41.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,716 $1,716

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-35.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,391 $1,391

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-31.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,260 $3,260

$987 ₡443.6K

230.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

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

Last update for Scranton, PA: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scranton, PA

$1.3K 55.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 30.1% $406

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scranton, PA

$321 13.2%

San Jose

$190 9% 40.8% $131

Groceries & Markets

Scranton, PA

$299 12.3%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 34.6% $104

Eating Out

Scranton, PA

$230 9.5%

San Jose

$232 11% 1% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Scranton, PA

$104 4.3%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 68.1% $71

Getting Around

Scranton, PA

$80 3.3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 0.8% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Scranton, PA

$47 1.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 78.5% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,313 in Scranton, PA 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 Scranton, PA are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Scranton, PA versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $299 in Scranton, PA vs $403 in San Jose – so Scranton, PA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Scranton, PA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

13:53 1:53 PM

1 h behind Scranton, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,861

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

Scranton, PA San Jose 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Scranton, PA
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

Scranton, PA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,645 per month in Scranton, PA 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 $1,313 in Scranton, PA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Scranton, PA 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 $2,430 in Scranton, PA and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 13% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,430 in Scranton, PA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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