Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Show Low, AZ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,962 in Show Low, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Show Low, AZ
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Show Low, AZ Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Show Low, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,962

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,962 per month in Show Low, AZ vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Show Low, AZ $2,962
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $4,019 per month in Show Low, AZ vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Show Low, AZ $4,019
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $5,075 per month in Show Low, AZ vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Show Low, AZ $5,075
San Jose $3,857

Show Low, AZ costs about 52% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Show Low, AZ and San Jose sit above the global median – Show Low, AZ by 121%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.36 $17.36

$12.22 ₡5,510

42.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 $81.2

$60.1 ₡27.1K

35.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.65 $18.65

$11.77 ₡5,305

58.45%

Cappuccino

$6.09 $6.09

$4.30 ₡1,939

41.63%

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

$3.42 $3.42

$2.72 ₡1,226

25.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.84 ₡830

46.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.28 ₡1,480

80.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$4.36 ₡1,966

58.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.38 ₡1,074

-38.24%

White Bread (500g)

$4.49 $4.49

$3.12 ₡1,408

43.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.41 ₡1,086

82.99%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$3.47 ₡1,564

20.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.77 $13.77

$10.57 ₡4,767

30.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.51 $11.51

$10.56 ₡4,758

9.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.74 $15.74

$13.75 ₡6,196

14.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$5.04 ₡2,274

-6.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.61 ₡727

-1.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$4.59 ₡2,069

-8.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$3.84 ₡1,731

30.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.77 ₡1,700

-19.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.76 ₡1,693

-22.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.12 ₡506

77.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$3.20 ₡1,441

-30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.79 $10.79

$5.84 ₡2,632

84.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$19.73 ₡8,897

-23.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.75 ₡1,240

-26.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$3.66 ₡1,650

-9.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.12 ₡503

88.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.46 ₡1,110

37.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.54 ₡692

1.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.81 $32.81

$8.46 ₡3,815

287.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.55 ₡699

-29.68%

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

$32.7K $32.7K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

50.91%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-27.61%

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

$199 $199

$94.7 ₡42.7K

110.59%

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

$57.5 $57.5

$35.11 ₡15.8K

63.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$99.1 $99.1

$58.6 ₡26.4K

69.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.11 $44.11

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-38.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 $8.73

$7.83 ₡3,532

11.49%

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

$1,265 $1,265

$971 ₡437.9K

30.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K $25.6K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

50.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.18 $49.18

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-31.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 $40.02

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-27.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 $88.5

$129 ₡58.2K

-31.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$133 ₡60.0K

-21.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,478 $1,478

$934 ₡420.9K

58.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 $1,620

$770 ₡347.2K

110.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 $2,454

$1,945 ₡876.7K

26.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 $2,247

$1,316 ₡593.5K

70.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,881 $2,881

$2,277 ₡1.0M

26.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,450 $2,450

$1,795 ₡809.1K

36.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Show Low, AZ: October 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Show Low, AZ

$1.6K 55.3%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 52.5% $850

Groceries & Markets

Show Low, AZ

$412 14.1%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 3.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Show Low, AZ

$356 12.1%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 47.1% $168

Eating Out

Show Low, AZ

$336 11.5%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 32.1% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Show Low, AZ

$127 4.3%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 37.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Show Low, AZ

$62 2.1%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 42.7% $26

Getting Around

Show Low, AZ

$20 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 305% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,478 in Show Low, AZ 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Show Low, AZ versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $412 vs $399 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Show Low, AZ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

05:35 5:35 AM

06:35 6:35 AM

1 h ahead of Show Low, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,732

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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Highest

Between locations

Show Low, AZ San Jose 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Show Low, AZ
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

Show Low, AZ vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Show Low, AZ is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,444 per month in Show Low, AZ 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,962 in Show Low, AZ and $1,949 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 52%.

Kindergarten costs $1,265 per month in Show Low, AZ and $971 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in Show Low, AZ at $2,962. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Show Low, AZ 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, Show Low, AZ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.