Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surprise, AZ and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Surprise, AZ: $1,305 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Surprise, AZ
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Surprise, AZ Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Surprise, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$1,305

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,305 per month in Surprise, AZ vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Surprise, AZ $1,305
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $3,606 per month in Surprise, AZ vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Surprise, AZ $3,606
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $5,906 per month in Surprise, AZ vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Surprise, AZ $5,906
San Jose $3,857

Surprise, AZ is about 33% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Surprise, AZ sits 3% below the global median, while San Jose is 45% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$12.22 ₡5,510

65.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 $84.2

$60.1 ₡27.1K

39.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.84 $12.84

$11.77 ₡5,305

9.09%

Cappuccino

$6.01 $6.01

$4.30 ₡1,939

39.77%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$2.72 ₡1,226

-2.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.84 ₡830

33.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.20 $7.20

$3.28 ₡1,480

119.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$4.36 ₡1,966

86.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.38 ₡1,074

-57.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.12 ₡1,408

12.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$2.41 ₡1,086

115.35%

Eggs

$4.73 $4.73

$3.47 ₡1,564

36.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$10.57 ₡4,767

26.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.30 $11.30

$10.56 ₡4,758

7.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.80 $14.80

$13.75 ₡6,196

7.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$5.04 ₡2,274

-8.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.61 ₡727

20.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$4.59 ₡2,069

-15.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$3.84 ₡1,731

9.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.77 ₡1,700

-32.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.76 ₡1,693

-23.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.12 ₡506

90.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.20 ₡1,441

-32.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.66 $10.66

$5.84 ₡2,632

82.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 $13.77

$19.73 ₡8,897

-30.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.75 ₡1,240

-8.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.66 ₡1,650

-12.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.46 ₡1,110

13.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.54 ₡692

-9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$8.46 ₡3,815

317.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.55 ₡699

-27.10%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

69.24%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-27.45%

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

$197 $197

$94.7 ₡42.7K

108.04%

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

$62.6 $62.6

$35.11 ₡15.8K

78.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.8 $73.8

$58.6 ₡26.4K

25.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 $60.8

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-15.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$13.16 $13.16

$7.83 ₡3,532

68.07%

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

$1,090 $1,090

$971 ₡437.9K

12.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K $15.6K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-8.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 $56.0

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-21.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-19.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 $99.9

$129 ₡58.2K

-22.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$133 ₡60.0K

-13.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 $2,116

$1,945 ₡876.7K

8.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,030 $3,030

$1,316 ₡593.5K

130.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,591 $1,591

$1,795 ₡809.1K

-11.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,222 $4,222

$1,006 ₡453.5K

319.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

8.62

-25.29%

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

Last update for Surprise, AZ: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surprise, AZ

$392 29.9%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 1.9% $7.3

Eating Out

Surprise, AZ

$345 26.4%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 34% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surprise, AZ

$333 25.5%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 43.5% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Surprise, AZ

$142 10.8%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 23.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Surprise, AZ

$87 6.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 0.8% $0.7

Getting Around

Surprise, AZ

$9.8 * 0.8%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 712% $70

Accommodation & Living

Surprise, AZ

- * 0%

San Jose

$770 39.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 320% higher in Surprise, AZ, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Surprise, AZ versus $60.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $392 in Surprise, AZ vs $399 in San Jose – so Surprise, AZ wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Surprise, AZ

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

06:52 6:52 AM

1 h ahead of Surprise, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,148

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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 12, 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

Surprise, AZ San Jose 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Surprise, 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

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

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,958 per month in Surprise, AZ and $2,924 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,305 in Surprise, AZ and $1,949 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 49%.

Kindergarten costs $1,090 per month in Surprise, 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surprise, AZ, where all-in costs run around $1,305, than in San Jose at $1,949. In Surprise, AZ it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surprise, AZ – 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 Surprise, AZ. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.