Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sterling and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,824 in Sterling, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Sterling
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Sterling Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Sterling

🇺🇸 United States

$2,824

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,824 per month in Sterling vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Sterling $2,824
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $4,327 per month in Sterling vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Sterling $4,327
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $5,831 per month in Sterling vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Sterling $5,831
San Jose $3,934

Sterling costs about 46% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sterling and San Jose sit above the global median – Sterling by 109%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.32 $19.32

$12.38 ₡5,551

56.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.4 $75.4

$60.9 ₡27.3K

23.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$11.45 ₡5,135

3.41%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$4.39 ₡1,967

34.40%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$2.70 ₡1,211

10.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.93 ₡864

28.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.42 $5.42

$3.20 ₡1,433

69.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$4.41 ₡1,979

79.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.44 ₡1,093

-56.97%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$3.05 ₡1,369

31.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.41 ₡1,081

112.03%

Eggs

$5.61 $5.61

$3.40 ₡1,523

65.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 $17.11

$10.75 ₡4,823

59.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.54 $14.54

$10.43 ₡4,679

39.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.87 $18.87

$13.99 ₡6,273

34.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$5.25 ₡2,353

6.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.59 ₡712

47.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$4.69 ₡2,103

7.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$3.95 ₡1,770

48.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.92 ₡1,760

-28.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$3.68 ₡1,651

4.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.12 ₡503

101.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$3.19 ₡1,429

-17.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.90 $9.90

$6.00 ₡2,692

65.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 $13.96

$19.56 ₡8,771

-28.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.82 ₡1,263

-17.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 $5.54

$3.59 ₡1,611

54.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.96 $4.96

$1.12 ₡503

342.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.50 ₡1,119

19.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.63 ₡733

-13.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.86 $22.86

$8.50 ₡3,812

168.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.56 ₡701

-33.33%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

60.47%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-29.49%

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

$156 $156

$95.2 ₡42.7K

64.15%

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

$50.5 $50.5

$35.58 ₡16.0K

42.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.1 $79.1

$58.6 ₡26.3K

34.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.37 $29.37

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-59.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$18.12 $18.12

$7.58 ₡3,401

139.05%

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

$1,918 $1,918

$1,001 ₡449.0K

91.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K $32.2K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

87.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-25.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.11 $45.11

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-19.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 $87.7

$130 ₡58.2K

-32.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$131 ₡58.7K

-17.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 $1,255

$927 ₡415.8K

35.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 $1,512

$774 ₡347.2K

95.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,025 $2,025

$1,967 ₡882.0K

2.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,875 $2,875

$1,288 ₡577.6K

123.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,239 $3,239

$2,274 ₡1.0M

42.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 $2,372

$1,831 ₡821.0K

29.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,714 $3,714

$1,016 ₡455.8K

265.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

8.62

-23.09%

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

Last update for Sterling: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sterling

$1.5K 53.6%

San Jose

$774 40% 48.8% $738

Groceries & Markets

Sterling

$473 16.8%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 15.2% $72

Eating Out

Sterling

$326 11.5%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 29.6% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sterling

$286 10.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 33.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Sterling

$132 4.7%

San Jose

$174 9% 32% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Sterling

$66 2.3%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 33.9% $22

Getting Around

Sterling

$30 * 1.1%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 174% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,255 in Sterling 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 265% higher in Sterling, 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 Sterling versus $61.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $473 vs $401 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sterling

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

12:30 12:30 PM

1 h behind Sterling

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,782

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Sterling San Jose 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sterling
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

Sterling vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sterling is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,236 per month in Sterling 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 $2,824 in Sterling and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 46%.

Kindergarten costs $1,918 per month in Sterling and $1,001 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 $1,938, than in Sterling at $2,824. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sterling 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, Sterling makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.