Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Staten Island, NY and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,009 in Staten Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Staten Island, NY
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Staten Island, NY Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Staten Island, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,009

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,009 per month in Staten Island, NY vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Staten Island, NY $3,009
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,483 per month in Staten Island, NY vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Staten Island, NY $4,483
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,957 per month in Staten Island, NY vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Staten Island, NY $5,957
San Jose $4,054

Staten Island, NY costs about 43% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Staten Island, NY and San Jose sit above the global median – Staten Island, NY by 123%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.43 $23.43

$12.37 ₡5,563

89.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 $86.5

$62.4 ₡28.0K

38.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.46 $13.46

$11.71 ₡5,264

14.94%

Cappuccino

$6.48 $6.48

$4.54 ₡2,040

42.73%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$2.75 ₡1,238

-2.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.86 ₡837

-9.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.19 $8.19

$3.35 ₡1,505

144.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.79 $7.79

$4.32 ₡1,944

80.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$2.36 ₡1,061

-47.03%

White Bread (500g)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.07 ₡1,379

60.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.68 $6.68

$2.51 ₡1,128

166.14%

Eggs

$6.00 $6.00

$3.53 ₡1,585

69.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.57 $17.57

$10.54 ₡4,738

66.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.57 ₡4,754

33.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 $19.61

$13.92 ₡6,261

40.88%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$5.20 ₡2,338

28.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.65 ₡740

118.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.49 $6.49

$4.89 ₡2,198

32.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.89 $6.89

$3.84 ₡1,728

79.43%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.91 ₡1,757

12.02%

Onion (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$3.76 ₡1,692

18.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.12 ₡504

158.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.22 ₡1,447

-10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.03 $19.03

$6.02 ₡2,706

216.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.81 ₡1,264

-33.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.65 ₡1,643

-4.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.08 ₡487

185.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.26 ₡1,018

28.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.78 ₡799

19.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.65 $42.65

$7.90 ₡3,551

439.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.50 ₡673

-27.33%

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

$34.1K $34.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

1.76%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.68%

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

$227 $227

$93.2 ₡41.9K

143.08%

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

$71.3 $71.3

$36.13 ₡16.2K

97.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 $65.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

7.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$118 $118

$68.9 ₡31.0K

71.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$20.40 $20.40

$7.67 ₡3,449

165.97%

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

$1,973 $1,973

$972 ₡436.9K

103.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K $20.5K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

8.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 $72.4

$70.6 ₡31.8K

2.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.81 $36.81

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-35.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$129 ₡57.8K

-18.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$131 ₡58.8K

-20.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,808 $1,808

$1,170 ₡525.9K

54.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,415 $1,415

$943 ₡424.1K

50.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,317 $3,317

$1,984 ₡892.0K

67.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,415 $2,415

$1,400 ₡629.5K

72.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,647 $6,647

$987 ₡443.6K

573.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

8.62

-22.04%

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

Last update for Staten Island, NY: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Staten Island, NY

$1.4K 47%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 33.3% $472

Groceries & Markets

Staten Island, NY

$524 17.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 23.2% $122

Eating Out

Staten Island, NY

$380 12.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 38.8% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Staten Island, NY

$363 12.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 47.7% $173

Sport & Entertainment

Staten Island, NY

$159 5.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 47% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Staten Island, NY

$143 4.7%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 22% $31

Getting Around

Staten Island, NY

$26 * 0.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 212% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,808 in Staten Island, NY 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 Staten Island, NY are about 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Staten Island, NY versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $524 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Staten Island, NY

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

13:09 1:09 PM

12:09 12:09 PM

1 h behind Staten Island, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

495,747

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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

Staten Island, NY San Jose 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Staten Island, NY
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

Staten Island, NY vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Staten Island, NY is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,514 per month in Staten Island, NY 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 $1,808 in Staten Island, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,009 in Staten Island, NY and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,973 per month in Staten Island, NY and $972 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 $2,107, than in Staten Island, NY at $3,009. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Staten Island, NY 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Staten Island, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.