Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thousand Oaks, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $3,845 in Thousand Oaks, CA, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

186

Cost of Living Index in Thousand Oaks, CA
Learn more

Thousand Oaks, CA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Thousand Oaks, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,845

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,845 per month in Thousand Oaks, CA vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Thousand Oaks, CA $3,845
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $5,209 per month in Thousand Oaks, CA vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Thousand Oaks, CA $5,209
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $6,573 per month in Thousand Oaks, CA vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Thousand Oaks, CA $6,573
San Jose $3,857

Thousand Oaks, CA costs about 97% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Thousand Oaks, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Thousand Oaks, CA by 187%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.09 $25.09

$12.22 ₡5,510

105.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.3 $98.3

$60.1 ₡27.1K

63.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.00 $9.00

$11.77 ₡5,305

-23.53%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.30 ₡1,939

30.93%

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

$2.81 $2.81

$2.72 ₡1,226

3.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.84 ₡830

10.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 $7.97

$3.28 ₡1,480

142.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.38 $9.38

$4.36 ₡1,966

115.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$2.38 ₡1,074

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.12 ₡1,408

27.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.41 ₡1,086

48.55%

Eggs

$5.15 $5.15

$3.47 ₡1,564

48.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.54 $12.54

$10.57 ₡4,767

18.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.47 $20.47

$10.56 ₡4,758

93.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.65 $22.65

$13.75 ₡6,196

64.73%

Apples (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$5.04 ₡2,274

6.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.61 ₡727

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$4.59 ₡2,069

4.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.79 $5.79

$3.84 ₡1,731

50.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.77 ₡1,700

-3.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.76 ₡1,693

-26.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.12 ₡506

44.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$3.20 ₡1,441

-29.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 $10.17

$5.84 ₡2,632

74.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 $15.18

$19.73 ₡8,897

-23.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.75 ₡1,240

-38.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.66 ₡1,650

-57.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.46 ₡1,110

80.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.54 ₡692

24.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.32 $36.32

$8.46 ₡3,815

329.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.55 ₡699

-4.52%

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

$37.5K $37.5K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

72.61%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-26.31%

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

$161 $161

$94.7 ₡42.7K

70.48%

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

$47.91 $47.91

$35.11 ₡15.8K

36.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$58.6 ₡26.4K

19.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.1 $66.1

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-8.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.11 $22.11

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-12.23%

Cinema Ticket

$12.12 $12.12

$7.83 ₡3,532

54.79%

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

$1,718 $1,718

$971 ₡437.9K

76.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.2K $42.2K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

148.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.05 $49.05

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-31.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.43 $29.43

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-46.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 $79.1

$129 ₡58.2K

-38.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$133 ₡60.0K

-9.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,625 $2,625

$934 ₡420.9K

181.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 $2,493

$770 ₡347.2K

223.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,748 $3,748

$1,945 ₡876.7K

92.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,457 $3,457

$1,316 ₡593.5K

162.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,777 $5,777

$2,277 ₡1.0M

153.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,858 $5,858

$1,795 ₡809.1K

226.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,925 $5,925

$1,006 ₡453.5K

489.01%

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 Thousand Oaks, CA: October 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thousand Oaks, CA

$2.5K 64.8%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 69.1% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Thousand Oaks, CA

$472 12.3%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 15.5% $73

Eating Out

Thousand Oaks, CA

$373 9.7%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 38.9% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thousand Oaks, CA

$279 7.3%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 32.5% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Thousand Oaks, CA

$125 3.3%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 39.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Thousand Oaks, CA

$90 2.4%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 2.8% $2.5

Getting Around

Thousand Oaks, CA

$14 * 0.4%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 471% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,625 in Thousand Oaks, CA versus $934 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 489% higher in Thousand Oaks, CA, 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 $98.0 in Thousand Oaks, CA versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $472 vs $399 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Thousand Oaks, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

05:56 5:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

1 h ahead of Thousand Oaks, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

124,207

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thousand Oaks, CA San Jose 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Thousand Oaks, CA
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

Thousand Oaks, CA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Thousand Oaks, CA is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,768 per month in Thousand Oaks, CA and $2,924 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 $3,845 in Thousand Oaks, CA and $1,949 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 97%.

Kindergarten costs $1,718 per month in Thousand Oaks, CA and $971 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in Thousand Oaks, CA at $3,845. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thousand Oaks, CA 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, Thousand Oaks, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.