Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tualatin, OR and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,503 in Tualatin, OR, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tualatin, OR outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

120

Cost of Living Index in Tualatin, OR
Learn more

Tualatin, OR Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Tualatin, OR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,503

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,503 per month in Tualatin, OR vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Tualatin, OR $2,503
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,682 per month in Tualatin, OR vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Tualatin, OR $3,682
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $4,860 per month in Tualatin, OR vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Tualatin, OR $4,860
San Jose $3,929

Tualatin, OR costs about 30% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tualatin, OR and San Jose sit above the global median – Tualatin, OR by 85%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.99 $17.99

$12.29 ₡5,513

46.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 $74.0

$62.3 ₡27.9K

18.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 $11.22

$11.53 ₡5,171

-2.69%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$4.35 ₡1,953

14.71%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$2.64 ₡1,183

-4.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.86 ₡836

5.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.89 $5.89

$3.32 ₡1,490

77.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 $6.02

$4.52 ₡2,026

33.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.39 ₡1,073

-55.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.96 $3.96

$3.08 ₡1,381

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.50 ₡1,119

90.80%

Eggs

$3.81 $3.81

$3.48 ₡1,562

9.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 $9.94

$10.74 ₡4,815

-7.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.65 $13.65

$10.32 ₡4,629

32.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.72 $19.72

$14.10 ₡6,325

39.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$5.03 ₡2,256

-25.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.59 ₡714

6.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$4.84 ₡2,171

-20.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.96 ₡1,776

-14.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$3.76 ₡1,684

-43.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$3.73 ₡1,674

-43.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.08 ₡485

81.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$3.25 ₡1,456

-43.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.36 $11.36

$5.86 ₡2,627

93.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.61 $13.61

$20.28 ₡9,095

-32.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.73 ₡1,673

-4.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.08 ₡486

59.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.50 ₡1,123

96.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.63 ₡732

-17.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.59 $23.59

$8.71 ₡3,904

170.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.58 ₡709

-15.82%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-25.07%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-41.33%

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

$151 $151

$93.7 ₡42.0K

61.31%

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

$47.08 $47.08

$35.42 ₡15.9K

32.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.0 $63.0

$60.0 ₡26.9K

5.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.95 $43.95

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-39.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$14.21 $14.21

$7.74 ₡3,471

83.59%

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

$1,238 $1,238

$1,005 ₡450.9K

23.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K $12.2K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-28.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 $57.9

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-20.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.41 $44.41

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-19.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 $99.4

$128 ₡57.5K

-22.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$130 ₡58.5K

3.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,622 $1,622

$932 ₡418.0K

74.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$760 ₡340.8K

73.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,504 $2,504

$1,922 ₡862.0K

30.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,174 $2,174

$1,276 ₡572.1K

70.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,914 $2,914

$2,301 ₡1.0M

26.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,320 $2,320

$1,833 ₡821.9K

26.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,975 $3,975

$1,029 ₡461.3K

286.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Tualatin, OR: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tualatin, OR

$1.3K 52.6%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 42.2% $556

Groceries & Markets

Tualatin, OR

$387 15.5%

San Jose

$403 21% 4.2% $16

Eating Out

Tualatin, OR

$297 11.9%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 22.9% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tualatin, OR

$261 10.4%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 27.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Tualatin, OR

$151 6.1%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 15.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Tualatin, OR

$72 2.9%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 21.7% $16

Getting Around

Tualatin, OR

$19 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 334% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,622 in Tualatin, OR versus $932 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 286% higher in Tualatin, OR, 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 $74.0 in Tualatin, OR versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $387 in Tualatin, OR vs $403 in San Jose – so Tualatin, OR wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tualatin, OR

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:07 3:07 PM

16:07 4:07 PM

1 h ahead of Tualatin, OR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,175

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Tualatin, OR San Jose 5,390 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tualatin, OR
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

Tualatin, OR vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tualatin, OR is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,754 per month in Tualatin, OR and $2,886 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 $2,503 in Tualatin, OR and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 30%.

Kindergarten costs $1,238 per month in Tualatin, OR and $1,005 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 $1,924, than in Tualatin, OR at $2,503. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tualatin, OR 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, Tualatin, OR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.