Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Staunton, VA and San Jose

For one person, living costs are similar in Staunton, VA and in San Jose: $2,149 and $2,107 a month, rent and utilities included.

103

Cost of Living Index in Staunton, VA
Learn more

Staunton, VA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Staunton, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,149

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,149 per month in Staunton, VA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Staunton, VA $2,149
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,252 per month in Staunton, VA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Staunton, VA $3,252
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,356 per month in Staunton, VA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Staunton, VA $4,356
San Jose $4,054

Staunton, VA and San Jose have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Staunton, VA and San Jose sit above the global median – Staunton, VA by 59%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.78 $19.78

$12.37 ₡5,563

59.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 $79.4

$62.4 ₡28.0K

27.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.03 $13.03

$11.71 ₡5,264

11.27%

Cappuccino

$5.45 $5.45

$4.54 ₡2,040

20.04%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$2.75 ₡1,238

7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.86 ₡837

37.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.35 ₡1,505

17.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 $5.55

$4.32 ₡1,944

28.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.36 ₡1,061

-55.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.07 ₡1,379

4.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.51 ₡1,128

49.80%

Eggs

$4.48 $4.48

$3.53 ₡1,585

26.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.65 $11.65

$10.54 ₡4,738

10.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.52 $15.52

$10.57 ₡4,754

46.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 $15.19

$13.92 ₡6,261

9.12%

Apples (1kg)

$6.36 $6.36

$5.20 ₡2,338

22.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.65 ₡740

-6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$4.89 ₡2,198

-17.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$3.84 ₡1,728

7.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.91 ₡1,757

-43.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.76 ₡1,692

-26.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.12 ₡504

78.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.22 ₡1,447

-23.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 $9.64

$6.02 ₡2,706

60.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.27 $16.27

$19.84 ₡8,919

-17.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.81 ₡1,264

-39.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$3.65 ₡1,643

-10.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.26 ₡1,018

118.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.78 ₡799

65.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.32 $35.32

$7.90 ₡3,551

347.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.50 ₡673

-42.67%

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

$23.0K $23.0K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-31.32%

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

$23.6K $23.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-44.25%

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

$178 $178

$93.2 ₡41.9K

91.46%

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

$38.60 $38.60

$36.13 ₡16.2K

6.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.42 $29.42

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-51.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.85 $44.85

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-34.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.36 $13.36

$7.67 ₡3,449

74.19%

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

$3,189 $3,189

$972 ₡436.9K

228.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$65.3K $65.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

246.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 $88.1

$70.6 ₡31.8K

24.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 $56.5

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-0.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 $139

$129 ₡57.8K

8.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 $150

$131 ₡58.8K

14.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 $1,315

$1,170 ₡525.9K

12.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 $891

$943 ₡424.1K

-5.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,660 $1,660

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-16.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 $1,480

$1,400 ₡629.5K

5.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,218 $2,218

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-17.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,288 $2,288

$2,037 ₡915.8K

12.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,028 $4,028

$987 ₡443.6K

308.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.99

8.62

-18.91%

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

Last update for Staunton, VA: 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

Staunton, VA

$891 41.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 5.8% $52

Groceries & Markets

Staunton, VA

$409 19%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 1.5% $6.2

Eating Out

Staunton, VA

$316 14.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 26.4% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Staunton, VA

$246 11.5%

San Jose

$190 9% 22.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Staunton, VA

$195 9.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 10.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Staunton, VA

$72 3.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 17.8% $13

Getting Around

Staunton, VA

$20 * 0.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 312% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,315 in Staunton, VA 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 Staunton, VA are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Staunton, VA versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Staunton, VA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

10:51 10:51 AM

1 h behind Staunton, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,528

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Staunton, VA San Jose 3,180 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Staunton, VA
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

Staunton, VA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,223 per month in Staunton, VA 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 $1,315 in Staunton, VA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Staunton, VA and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $3,189 per month in Staunton, VA and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,149 in Staunton, VA and $2,107 in San Jose, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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, Staunton, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.