Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Syracuse, NY and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,680 in Syracuse, NY, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Syracuse, NY
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Syracuse, NY Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Syracuse, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,680

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,680 per month in Syracuse, NY vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Syracuse, NY $2,680
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,845 per month in Syracuse, NY vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Syracuse, NY $3,845
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,011 per month in Syracuse, NY vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Syracuse, NY $5,011
San Jose $4,054

Syracuse, NY costs about 27% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Syracuse, NY and San Jose sit above the global median – Syracuse, NY by 98%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 $17.71

$12.37 ₡5,563

43.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.8 $75.8

$62.4 ₡28.0K

21.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 $11.92

$11.71 ₡5,264

1.79%

Cappuccino

$6.28 $6.28

$4.54 ₡2,040

38.33%

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

$3.34 $3.34

$2.75 ₡1,238

21.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.86 ₡837

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 $6.84

$3.35 ₡1,505

104.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.70 $7.70

$4.32 ₡1,944

78.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.36 ₡1,061

-59.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.07 ₡1,379

8.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.51 ₡1,128

80.88%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$3.53 ₡1,585

14.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 $10.96

$10.54 ₡4,738

3.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.38 $13.38

$10.57 ₡4,754

26.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 $18.30

$13.92 ₡6,261

31.47%

Apples (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$5.20 ₡2,338

26.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.65 ₡740

-13.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$4.89 ₡2,198

8.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$3.84 ₡1,728

81.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.91 ₡1,757

-25.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$3.76 ₡1,692

2.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.12 ₡504

168.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$3.22 ₡1,447

-18.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.54 $14.54

$6.02 ₡2,706

141.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$19.84 ₡8,919

-23.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.81 ₡1,264

7.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.65 ₡1,643

30.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.08 ₡487

81.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.9 $86.9

$65.2 ₡29.3K

33.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.26 ₡1,018

23.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.78 ₡799

9.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.61 $19.61

$7.90 ₡3,551

148.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.50 ₡673

-21.33%

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

$31.0K $31.0K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-7.45%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.39%

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

$230 $230

$93.2 ₡41.9K

147.07%

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

$58.6 $58.6

$36.13 ₡16.2K

62.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

24.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 $50.3

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-27.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.61 $31.61

$24.94 ₡11.2K

26.74%

Cinema Ticket

$14.84 $14.84

$7.67 ₡3,449

93.48%

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

$1,714 $1,714

$972 ₡436.9K

76.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K $18.9K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

0.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 $55.4

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-21.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.71 $47.71

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-15.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 $95.4

$129 ₡57.8K

-25.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$131 ₡58.8K

-7.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 $1,580

$1,170 ₡525.9K

35.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 $1,218

$943 ₡424.1K

29.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,779 $2,779

$1,984 ₡892.0K

40.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 $1,819

$1,400 ₡629.5K

29.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,911 $1,911

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-28.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,018 $2,018

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-0.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,703 $3,703

$987 ₡443.6K

275.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

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

Last update for Syracuse, NY: 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

Syracuse, NY

$1.2K 45.4%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 22.5% $274

Groceries & Markets

Syracuse, NY

$444 16.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 9.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Syracuse, NY

$364 13.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 47.8% $174

Eating Out

Syracuse, NY

$324 12.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 28.2% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Syracuse, NY

$144 5.4%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 21% $30

Getting Around

Syracuse, NY

$107 4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 24.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Syracuse, NY

$80 3%

San Jose

$84 4% 5.4% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,580 in Syracuse, 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 Syracuse, NY are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Syracuse, NY versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $444 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Syracuse, NY

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

14:15 2:15 PM

1 h behind Syracuse, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,620

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Syracuse, NY San Jose 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Syracuse, 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

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

Yes – Syracuse, NY is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,020 per month in Syracuse, 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 $1,580 in Syracuse, NY.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Syracuse, NY and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,680 in Syracuse, NY and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 21% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Syracuse, NY at $2,680. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Syracuse, 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, Syracuse, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.