Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turlock, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,780 in Turlock, CA, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Turlock, CA
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Turlock, CA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Turlock, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,780

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,780 per month in Turlock, CA vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Turlock, CA $2,780
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $4,034 per month in Turlock, CA vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Turlock, CA $4,034
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $5,288 per month in Turlock, CA vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Turlock, CA $5,288
San Jose $3,929

Turlock, CA costs about 45% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Turlock, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Turlock, CA by 105%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.94 $24.94

$12.29 ₡5,513

102.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 $99.6

$62.3 ₡27.9K

59.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.84 $12.84

$11.53 ₡5,171

11.36%

Cappuccino

$6.08 $6.08

$4.35 ₡1,953

39.77%

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

$4.38 $4.38

$2.64 ₡1,183

65.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.86 ₡836

113.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.10 $8.10

$3.32 ₡1,490

143.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.18 $9.18

$4.52 ₡2,026

103.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$2.39 ₡1,073

-43.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 $3.12

$3.08 ₡1,381

1.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.50 ₡1,119

-5.20%

Eggs

$3.04 $3.04

$3.48 ₡1,562

-12.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 $12.75

$10.74 ₡4,815

18.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.37 $12.37

$10.32 ₡4,629

19.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.74 $19.74

$14.10 ₡6,325

40.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$5.03 ₡2,256

-27.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.59 ₡714

-15.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$4.84 ₡2,171

-20.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.96 ₡1,776

-35.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.76 ₡1,684

-30.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.73 ₡1,674

-28.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.08 ₡485

87.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.25 ₡1,456

-39.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.57 $11.57

$5.86 ₡2,627

97.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$20.28 ₡9,095

-27.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.90 ₡1,300

-33.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$3.73 ₡1,673

-48.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.08 ₡486

106.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.50 ₡1,123

65.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.63 ₡732

20.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.91 $28.91

$8.71 ₡3,904

231.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.58 ₡709

-7.59%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-16.56%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-44.51%

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

$264 $264

$93.7 ₡42.0K

182.37%

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

$63.2 $63.2

$35.42 ₡15.9K

78.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.1 $60.1

$60.0 ₡26.9K

0.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.50 $47.50

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-34.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$18.12 $18.12

$7.74 ₡3,471

134.11%

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

$1,427 $1,427

$1,005 ₡450.9K

41.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.5K $29.5K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

74.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 $62.1

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-15.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.36 $47.36

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-14.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$128 ₡57.5K

-6.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$130 ₡58.5K

4.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 $1,561

$932 ₡418.0K

67.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 $1,349

$760 ₡340.8K

77.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 $2,713

$1,922 ₡862.0K

41.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,097 $2,097

$1,276 ₡572.1K

64.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,629 $2,629

$2,301 ₡1.0M

14.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,285 $2,285

$1,833 ₡821.9K

24.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,406 $4,406

$1,029 ₡461.3K

328.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

8.62

-24.25%

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

Last update for Turlock, CA: October 20, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Turlock, CA

$1.3K 48.5%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 43.7% $589

Eating Out

Turlock, CA

$403 14.5%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 43.3% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turlock, CA

$388 14%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 51.2% $199

Groceries & Markets

Turlock, CA

$368 13.2%

San Jose

$403 21% 9.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Turlock, CA

$165 5.9%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 5.6% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Turlock, CA

$84 3%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 5.2% $4.3

Getting Around

Turlock, CA

$23 * 0.8%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 252% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,561 in Turlock, CA 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 328% higher in Turlock, 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 $100 in Turlock, CA versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $368 in Turlock, CA vs $403 in San Jose – so Turlock, CA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Turlock, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

1 h ahead of Turlock, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,504

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

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Between locations

Turlock, CA San Jose 4,780 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Turlock, 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

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

Yes – Turlock, CA is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,170 per month in Turlock, CA 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 $2,780 in Turlock, CA and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 45%.

Kindergarten costs $1,427 per month in Turlock, CA 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 Turlock, CA at $2,780. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Turlock, 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, Turlock, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.