Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,744 per month in Seattle, WA vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,744
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $5,703 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,703
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $7,661 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,661
San Jose $3,857

Seattle, WA costs about 92% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Seattle, WA and San Jose sit above the global median – Seattle, WA by 179%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$12.22 ₡5,510

100.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$60.1 ₡27.1K

65.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.30 $15.30

$11.77 ₡5,305

29.99%

Cappuccino

$6.62 $6.62

$4.30 ₡1,939

53.95%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$2.72 ₡1,226

19.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.84 ₡830

69.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$3.28 ₡1,480

136.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$4.36 ₡1,966

81.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.38 ₡1,074

-49.16%

White Bread (500g)

$4.94 $4.94

$3.12 ₡1,408

58.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.41 ₡1,086

156.02%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$3.47 ₡1,564

42.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.00 $19.00

$10.57 ₡4,767

79.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$10.56 ₡4,758

76.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.14 $23.14

$13.75 ₡6,196

68.29%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$5.04 ₡2,274

17.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.61 ₡727

20.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$4.59 ₡2,069

13.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$3.84 ₡1,731

70.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.77 ₡1,700

-3.98%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$3.76 ₡1,693

-15.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.12 ₡506

159.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$3.20 ₡1,441

-25.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 $12.36

$5.84 ₡2,632

111.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$19.73 ₡8,897

-23.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.75 ₡1,240

56.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 $5.69

$3.66 ₡1,650

55.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.12 ₡503

172.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$65.1 ₡29.4K

66.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.46 ₡1,110

7.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.54 ₡692

12.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.02 $30.02

$8.46 ₡3,815

254.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.55 ₡699

-5.81%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

69.30%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-26.36%

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

$299 $299

$94.7 ₡42.7K

216.24%

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

$69.7 $69.7

$35.11 ₡15.8K

98.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.1 $90.1

$58.6 ₡26.4K

53.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.0 $80.0

$72.2 ₡32.5K

10.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.62 $35.62

$25.19 ₡11.4K

41.41%

Cinema Ticket

$17.33 $17.33

$7.83 ₡3,532

121.33%

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

$2,986 $2,986

$971 ₡437.9K

207.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

84.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 $77.7

$71.6 ₡32.3K

8.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$54.9 ₡24.7K

0.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$129 ₡58.2K

-2.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$133 ₡60.0K

23.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$934 ₡420.9K

157.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

$770 ₡347.2K

154.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,788 $4,788

$1,945 ₡876.7K

146.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,561 $3,561

$1,316 ₡593.5K

170.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,430 $7,430

$2,277 ₡1.0M

226.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 $5,010

$1,795 ₡809.1K

179.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,280 $6,280

$1,006 ₡453.5K

524.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

8.62

-20.53%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 60.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 26.2% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 59% $271

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 43.3% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$191 5%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 8.3% $16

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 39.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$115 3%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 23.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,407 in Seattle, WA 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 524% higher in Seattle, WA, 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 $99.0 in Seattle, WA versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $541 vs $399 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

05:34 5:34 AM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

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

Seattle, WA San Jose 5,510 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
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

Seattle, WA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seattle, WA is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,616 per month in Seattle, WA 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 $99.0 in Seattle, WA 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 $3,744 in Seattle, WA and $1,949 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 92%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in Seattle, WA at $3,744. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA 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, Seattle, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.