Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Traverse City, MI and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,657 in Traverse City, MI, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Traverse City, MI
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Traverse City, MI Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Traverse City, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,657

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,657 per month in Traverse City, MI vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Traverse City, MI $2,657
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,966 per month in Traverse City, MI vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Traverse City, MI $3,966
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,274 per month in Traverse City, MI vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Traverse City, MI $5,274
San Jose $4,054

Traverse City, MI costs about 26% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Traverse City, MI and San Jose sit above the global median – Traverse City, MI by 97%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.91 $21.91

$12.37 ₡5,563

77.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.6 $77.6

$62.4 ₡28.0K

24.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 $11.36

$11.71 ₡5,264

-2.99%

Cappuccino

$4.61 $4.61

$4.54 ₡2,040

1.54%

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

$2.50 $2.50

$2.75 ₡1,238

-9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.86 ₡837

23.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.36 $5.36

$3.35 ₡1,505

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.89 $7.89

$4.32 ₡1,944

82.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 $0.72

$2.36 ₡1,061

-69.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.07 ₡1,379

-0.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.51 ₡1,128

71.31%

Eggs

$2.69 $2.69

$3.53 ₡1,585

-23.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.80 $18.80

$10.54 ₡4,738

78.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.40 $12.40

$10.57 ₡4,754

17.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.68 $21.68

$13.92 ₡6,261

55.75%

Apples (1kg)

$6.84 $6.84

$5.20 ₡2,338

31.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.65 ₡740

-16.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$4.89 ₡2,198

-22.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.97 $6.97

$3.84 ₡1,728

81.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.91 ₡1,757

-29.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$3.76 ₡1,692

-17.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.12 ₡504

104.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$3.22 ₡1,447

-18.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.92 $5.92

$6.02 ₡2,706

-1.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$19.84 ₡8,919

-25.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.81 ₡1,264

-27.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$3.65 ₡1,643

89.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.12 $6.12

$1.08 ₡487

466.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.42 $29.42

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-54.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.50 ₡673

-36.67%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

6.55%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-40.14%

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

$116 $116

$93.2 ₡41.9K

23.94%

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

$36.67 $36.67

$36.13 ₡16.2K

1.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 $66.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

9.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.8 $62.8

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-8.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 $9.91

$7.67 ₡3,449

29.20%

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

$1,039 $1,039

$972 ₡436.9K

6.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K $10.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-45.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 $59.1

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-16.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.81 $41.81

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-26.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 $99.9

$129 ₡57.8K

-22.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 $87.6

$131 ₡58.8K

-33.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 $1,947

$1,170 ₡525.9K

66.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 $1,396

$943 ₡424.1K

48.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,875 $3,875

$1,984 ₡892.0K

95.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,360 $2,360

$1,400 ₡629.5K

68.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,425 $3,425

$2,681 ₡1.2M

27.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,347 $3,347

$2,037 ₡915.8K

64.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,719 $2,719

$987 ₡443.6K

175.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

8.62

-26.68%

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

Last update for Traverse City, MI: 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

Traverse City, MI

$1.4K 52.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 32.5% $453

Groceries & Markets

Traverse City, MI

$450 16.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 10.5% $47

Eating Out

Traverse City, MI

$326 12.3%

San Jose

$232 11% 28.8% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Traverse City, MI

$218 8.2%

San Jose

$190 9% 13% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Traverse City, MI

$130 4.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 34.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Traverse City, MI

$83 3.1%

San Jose

$84 4% 2% $1.7

Getting Around

Traverse City, MI

$54 * 2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 49.8% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,947 in Traverse City, MI 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 Traverse City, MI are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Traverse City, MI versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $450 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Traverse City, MI

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

12:37 12:37 PM

1 h behind Traverse City, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,678

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Traverse City, MI San Jose 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Traverse City, MI
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

Traverse City, MI vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Traverse City, MI is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,986 per month in Traverse City, MI 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 $1,947 in Traverse City, MI.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Traverse City, MI 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 $2,657 in Traverse City, MI 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 Traverse City, MI at $2,657. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Traverse City, MI 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, Traverse City, MI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.