Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spokane, WA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,744 in Spokane, WA, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Spokane, WA
Learn more

Spokane, WA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Spokane, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,744

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,744 per month in Spokane, WA vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Spokane, WA $2,744
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $4,051 per month in Spokane, WA vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Spokane, WA $4,051
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $5,357 per month in Spokane, WA vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Spokane, WA $5,357
San Jose $3,857

Spokane, WA costs about 41% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Spokane, WA and San Jose sit above the global median – Spokane, WA by 105%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 $19.97

$12.22 ₡5,510

63.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 $76.4

$60.1 ₡27.1K

27.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.02 $13.02

$11.77 ₡5,305

10.62%

Cappuccino

$5.27 $5.27

$4.30 ₡1,939

22.56%

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

$2.41 $2.41

$2.72 ₡1,226

-11.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.84 ₡830

22.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.18 $7.18

$3.28 ₡1,480

118.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 $6.16

$4.36 ₡1,966

41.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.38 ₡1,074

-58.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 $3.42

$3.12 ₡1,408

9.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$2.41 ₡1,086

101.24%

Eggs

$5.66 $5.66

$3.47 ₡1,564

63.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 $16.05

$10.57 ₡4,767

51.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.51 $13.51

$10.56 ₡4,758

27.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.79 $16.79

$13.75 ₡6,196

22.11%

Apples (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$5.04 ₡2,274

21.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.61 ₡727

8.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$4.59 ₡2,069

21.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$3.84 ₡1,731

46.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.77 ₡1,700

-19.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.76 ₡1,693

-21.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.12 ₡506

83.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$3.20 ₡1,441

-42.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.31 $12.31

$5.84 ₡2,632

110.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.08 $14.08

$19.73 ₡8,897

-28.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.75 ₡1,240

-34.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.66 ₡1,650

28.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.12 ₡503

83.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 $54.9

$65.1 ₡29.4K

-15.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.46 ₡1,110

101.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.54 ₡692

16.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.13 $40.13

$8.46 ₡3,815

374.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.55 ₡699

-12.26%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

67.11%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-24.71%

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

$177 $177

$94.7 ₡42.7K

86.46%

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

$75.2 $75.2

$35.11 ₡15.8K

114.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.0 $74.0

$58.6 ₡26.4K

26.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 $57.5

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-20.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 $15.21

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-39.62%

Cinema Ticket

$16.20 $16.20

$7.83 ₡3,532

106.90%

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

$1,383 $1,383

$971 ₡437.9K

42.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K $21.8K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

28.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 $53.5

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-25.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-7.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$129 ₡58.2K

-9.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 $147

$133 ₡60.0K

10.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 $1,659

$934 ₡420.9K

77.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 $1,289

$770 ₡347.2K

67.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,653 $2,653

$1,945 ₡876.7K

36.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 $2,085

$1,316 ₡593.5K

58.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,431 $3,431

$2,277 ₡1.0M

50.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,318 $2,318

$1,795 ₡809.1K

29.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,366 $4,366

$1,006 ₡453.5K

333.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

8.62

-21.58%

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

Last update for Spokane, WA: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spokane, WA

$1.3K 47.5%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 40.2% $519

Groceries & Markets

Spokane, WA

$436 16.1%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 8.4% $37

Eating Out

Spokane, WA

$329 12.1%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 30.7% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spokane, WA

$326 12%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 42.2% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Spokane, WA

$165 6.1%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 5.7% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Spokane, WA

$90 3.3%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 2.2% $2

Getting Around

Spokane, WA

$77 2.8%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 3.5% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,659 in Spokane, 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 334% higher in Spokane, 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 $76.0 in Spokane, WA versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $436 vs $399 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Spokane, WA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

06:23 6:23 AM

1 h ahead of Spokane, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,989

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Spokane, WA San Jose 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Spokane, 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

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

Yes – Spokane, WA is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,116 per month in Spokane, 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 $76.0 in Spokane, 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 $2,744 in Spokane, WA and $1,949 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 41%.

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