Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suwanee, GA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,005 in Suwanee, GA, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Suwanee, GA, United States
San Jose, Costa Rica
Suwanee, GA
🇺🇸 United States
$3,005
/mo nomad
San Jose
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$2,107
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,005 per month in Suwanee, GA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Suwanee, GA $3,005
  • San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $4,196 per month in Suwanee, GA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Suwanee, GA $4,196
  • San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,386 per month in Suwanee, GA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Suwanee, GA $5,386
  • San Jose $4,054

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

Both Suwanee, GA and San Jose sit above the global median – Suwanee, GA by 122%, San Jose by 56%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Suwanee, GA
San Jose
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.60 $19.60
$12.37 ₡5,563
58.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.6 $81.6
$62.4 ₡28.0K
30.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.10 $11.10
$11.71 ₡5,264
-5.21%
Cappuccino
$5.32 $5.32
$4.54 ₡2,040
17.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 $2.71
$2.75 ₡1,238
-1.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 $1.99
$1.86 ₡837
6.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.03 $6.03
$3.35 ₡1,505
80.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.53 $7.53
$4.32 ₡1,944
74.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Suwanee, GA
San Jose
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.86 $0.86
$2.36 ₡1,061
-63.56%
White Bread (500g)
$3.77 $3.77
$3.07 ₡1,379
22.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.59 $4.59
$2.51 ₡1,128
82.87%
Eggs
$4.01 $4.01
$3.53 ₡1,585
13.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.73 $11.73
$10.54 ₡4,738
11.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.85 $8.85
$10.57 ₡4,754
-16.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.93 $19.93
$13.92 ₡6,261
43.18%
Apples (1kg)
$4.50 $4.50
$5.20 ₡2,338
-13.46%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 $1.50
$1.65 ₡740
-9.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.23 $4.23
$4.89 ₡2,198
-13.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.64 $4.64
$3.84 ₡1,728
20.83%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 $3.80
$3.91 ₡1,757
-2.81%
Onion (1kg)
$3.71 $3.71
$3.76 ₡1,692
-1.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.29 $2.29
$1.12 ₡504
104.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 $1.96
$3.22 ₡1,447
-39.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.65 $8.65
$6.02 ₡2,706
43.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.75 $14.75
$19.84 ₡8,919
-25.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 $1.67
$2.81 ₡1,264
-40.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 $1.70
$3.65 ₡1,643
-53.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Suwanee, GA
San Jose
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.08 ₡487
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$65.2 ₡29.3K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.01 $3.01
$2.26 ₡1,018
33.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.51 $1.51
$1.78 ₡799
-15.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.80 $17.80
$7.90 ₡3,551
125.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 $0.88
$1.50 ₡673
-41.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.0K $26.0K
$33.5K ₡15.1M
-22.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.4K $25.4K
$42.3K ₡19.0M
-39.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Suwanee, GA
San Jose
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$224 $224
$93.2 ₡41.9K
139.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$68.8 $68.8
$36.13 ₡16.2K
90.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$87.7 $87.7
$60.6 ₡27.2K
44.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Suwanee, GA
San Jose
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.95 $49.95
$68.9 ₡31.0K
-27.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.20 $15.20
$24.94 ₡11.2K
-39.05%
Cinema Ticket
$16.71 $16.71
$7.67 ₡3,449
117.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Suwanee, GA
San Jose
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,287 $1,287
$972 ₡436.9K
32.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.2K $17.2K
$18.9K ₡8.5M
-8.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Suwanee, GA
San Jose
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.7 $51.7
$70.6 ₡31.8K
-26.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.91 $43.91
$56.7 ₡25.5K
-22.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.9 $88.9
$129 ₡57.8K
-30.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$134 $134
$131 ₡58.8K
2.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Suwanee, GA
San Jose
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,957 $1,957
$1,170 ₡525.9K
67.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,685 $1,685
$943 ₡424.1K
78.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,634 $2,634
$1,984 ₡892.0K
32.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,480 $2,480
$1,400 ₡629.5K
77.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,681 ₡1.2M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,037 ₡915.8K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Suwanee, GA
San Jose
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$987 ₡443.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.64
8.62
-22.97%

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

Last update for Suwanee, GA: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Suwanee, GA
$1.7K
San Jose
$943 44% $742
Groceries & Markets
Suwanee, GA
$384
San Jose
$403 4.8% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Suwanee, GA
$380
San Jose
$190 50% $190
Eating Out
Suwanee, GA
$318
San Jose
$232 26.9% $86
Clothing & Footwear
Suwanee, GA
$143
San Jose
$174 21.4% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Suwanee, GA
$83
San Jose
$84 1.1% $0.9
Getting Around
Suwanee, GA
$11 *
San Jose
$81 664% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,957 in Suwanee, GA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in Suwanee, GA versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Suwanee, GA vs $403 in San Jose – so Suwanee, GA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Suwanee, GA
🇨🇷 San Jose
🕒 Local time
06:13 6:13 AM
05:13 5:13 AM
1 h behind Suwanee, GA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
19,549
342,188 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Suwanee, GA San Jose 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Suwanee, GA
  • 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
Suwanee, GA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is San Jose cheaper than Suwanee, GA?
Yes – Suwanee, GA is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,507 per month in Suwanee, GA and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,957 in Suwanee, GA.
What are total monthly expenses in Suwanee, GA and in San Jose?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,005 in Suwanee, GA and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 30% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,287 per month in Suwanee, GA and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Suwanee, GA or in San Jose?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Suwanee, GA at $3,005. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Suwanee, GA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Suwanee, GA or San Jose more family-friendly?
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.

Suwanee, GA vs other spots: cost of living compared

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