Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sequim, WA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $3,154 in Sequim, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Sequim, WA
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Sequim, WA Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Sequim, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,154

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,154 per month in Sequim, WA vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Sequim, WA $3,154
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $4,622 per month in Sequim, WA vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Sequim, WA $4,622
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $6,090 per month in Sequim, WA vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Sequim, WA $6,090
San Jose $3,934

Sequim, WA costs about 63% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sequim, WA and San Jose sit above the global median – Sequim, WA by 134%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.61 $24.61

$12.38 ₡5,551

98.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.2 $75.2

$60.9 ₡27.3K

23.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.50 $12.50

$11.45 ₡5,135

9.17%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$4.39 ₡1,967

19.36%

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

$2.04 $2.04

$2.70 ₡1,211

-24.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.93 ₡864

-12.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 $5.83

$3.20 ₡1,433

82.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 $6.88

$4.41 ₡1,979

56.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.44 ₡1,093

-56.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.05 ₡1,369

16.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.41 ₡1,081

73.03%

Eggs

$4.07 $4.07

$3.40 ₡1,523

19.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 $13.65

$10.75 ₡4,823

26.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$10.43 ₡4,679

28.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.10 $27.10

$13.99 ₡6,273

93.71%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$5.25 ₡2,353

-1.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.59 ₡712

18.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$4.69 ₡2,103

-14.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$3.95 ₡1,770

19.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$3.92 ₡1,760

-51.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$3.68 ₡1,651

-33.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.12 ₡503

140.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$3.19 ₡1,429

-24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.79 $12.79

$6.00 ₡2,692

113.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 $15.10

$19.56 ₡8,771

-22.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.82 ₡1,263

-27.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.59 ₡1,611

-23.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.12 ₡503

33.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.64 $40.64

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-39.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.56 ₡701

-16.67%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

60.59%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-27.47%

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

$290 $290

$95.2 ₡42.7K

204.94%

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

$50.5 $50.5

$35.58 ₡16.0K

41.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.5 $85.5

$58.6 ₡26.3K

45.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.8 $70.8

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-2.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$17.18 $17.18

$7.58 ₡3,401

126.65%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.56 $39.56

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-43.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 $50.3

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-9.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$130 ₡58.2K

-22.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$131 ₡58.7K

-7.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,917 $1,917

$927 ₡415.8K

106.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,639 $1,639

$774 ₡347.2K

111.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,258 $3,258

$1,967 ₡882.0K

65.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 $2,869

$1,288 ₡577.6K

122.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,813 $3,813

$2,274 ₡1.0M

67.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,268 $3,268

$1,831 ₡821.0K

78.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,950 $2,950

$1,016 ₡455.8K

190.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

8.62

-21.00%

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

Last update for Sequim, WA: October 10, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sequim, WA

$1.6K 51.9%

San Jose

$774 40% 52.8% $865

Groceries & Markets

Sequim, WA

$442 14%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 9.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sequim, WA

$426 13.5%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 55.6% $237

Eating Out

Sequim, WA

$355 11.3%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 35.4% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Sequim, WA

$141 4.5%

San Jose

$174 9% 23.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sequim, WA

$105 3.3%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 16.5% $17

Getting Around

Sequim, WA

$47 * 1.5%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 75.8% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,917 in Sequim, WA versus $927 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 190% higher in Sequim, 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 $75.0 in Sequim, WA versus $61.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $442 vs $401 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sequim, WA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

14:22 2:22 PM

1 h ahead of Sequim, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sequim, WA San Jose 5,590 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sequim, 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

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

Yes – Sequim, WA is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,732 per month in Sequim, WA and $2,907 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,154 in Sequim, WA and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 63%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Sequim, WA and $61.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,938, than in Sequim, WA at $3,154. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sequim, 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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