Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tracy, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,327 in Tracy, CA, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Tracy, CA
Learn more

Tracy, CA Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Tracy, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,327

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,327 per month in Tracy, CA vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Tracy, CA $2,327
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $2,585 per month in Tracy, CA vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Tracy, CA $2,585
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $2,843 per month in Tracy, CA vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Tracy, CA $2,843
San Jose $3,934

Tracy, CA costs about 20% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tracy, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Tracy, CA by 72%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.75 $19.75

$12.38 ₡5,551

59.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 $50.9

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-16.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.10 $10.10

$11.45 ₡5,135

-11.79%

Cappuccino

$4.52 $4.52

$4.39 ₡1,967

2.96%

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

$3.12 $3.12

$2.70 ₡1,211

15.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.93 ₡864

-6.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.20 ₡1,433

90.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 $7.44

$4.41 ₡1,979

68.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.44 ₡1,093

-45.08%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.05 ₡1,369

37.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.50 $5.50

$2.41 ₡1,081

128.22%

Eggs

$3.42 $3.42

$3.40 ₡1,523

0.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.30 $16.30

$10.75 ₡4,823

51.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.11 $11.11

$10.43 ₡4,679

6.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.47 $15.47

$13.99 ₡6,273

10.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$5.25 ₡2,353

-15.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.59 ₡712

42.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$4.69 ₡2,103

-7.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.95 ₡1,770

10.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.92 ₡1,760

-43.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$3.68 ₡1,651

-12.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.12 ₡503

82.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$3.19 ₡1,429

-36.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.91 $11.91

$6.00 ₡2,692

98.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.06 $13.06

$19.56 ₡8,771

-33.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.82 ₡1,263

-25.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.59 ₡1,611

-23.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.6 $64.6

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-3.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.50 ₡1,119

-2.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.63 ₡733

13.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.48 $29.48

$8.50 ₡3,812

246.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.56 ₡701

-7.05%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

66.41%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-27.41%

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

$179 $179

$95.2 ₡42.7K

87.81%

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

$50.6 $50.6

$35.58 ₡16.0K

42.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.7 $75.7

$58.6 ₡26.3K

29.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$7.58 ₡3,401

96.97%

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

$2,471 $2,471

$1,001 ₡449.0K

146.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.4K $35.4K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

106.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.4 $71.4

$70.5 ₡31.6K

1.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$72.0 $72.0

$55.8 ₡25.0K

28.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 $95.8

$130 ₡58.2K

-26.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$233 $233

$131 ₡58.7K

78.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 $1,775

$927 ₡415.8K

91.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$991 $991

$774 ₡347.2K

28.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,758 $3,758

$2,274 ₡1.0M

65.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,739 $5,739

$1,016 ₡455.8K

464.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

8.62

-23.20%

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

Last update for Tracy, CA: 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

Tracy, CA

$991 42.6%

San Jose

$774 40% 21.9% $217

Groceries & Markets

Tracy, CA

$404 17.4%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 0.8% $3.4

Eating Out

Tracy, CA

$308 13.2%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 25.5% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tracy, CA

$305 13.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 37.9% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Tracy, CA

$212 9.1%

San Jose

$174 9% 18.1% $38

Getting Around

Tracy, CA

$76 * 3.3%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 7.4% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Tracy, CA

$30 * 1.3%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 194% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,775 in Tracy, CA 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 465% higher in Tracy, 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 $51.0 in Tracy, CA versus $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $404 in Tracy, CA vs $401 in San Jose – so San Jose wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tracy, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

1 h ahead of Tracy, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,337

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tracy, CA San Jose 4,840 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tracy, 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

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

Yes – Tracy, CA is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,490 per month in Tracy, CA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Tracy, CA and $61.0 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 $2,327 in Tracy, CA and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 20%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,938, than in Tracy, CA at $2,327. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tracy, 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.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tracy, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.