Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ukiah, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,586 in Ukiah, CA, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Ukiah, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,586

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,586 per month in Ukiah, CA vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Ukiah, CA $2,586
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,849 per month in Ukiah, CA vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Ukiah, CA $3,849
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $5,111 per month in Ukiah, CA vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Ukiah, CA $5,111
San Jose $3,929

Ukiah, CA costs about 34% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ukiah, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Ukiah, CA by 91%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$12.29 ₡5,513

73.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 $55.6

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-10.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.26 $11.26

$11.53 ₡5,171

-2.34%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$4.35 ₡1,953

25.52%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$2.64 ₡1,183

12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.86 ₡836

23.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.32 ₡1,490

47.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 $5.88

$4.52 ₡2,026

30.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$2.39 ₡1,073

-50.21%

White Bread (500g)

$4.23 $4.23

$3.08 ₡1,381

37.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$2.50 ₡1,119

110.80%

Eggs

$6.21 $6.21

$3.48 ₡1,562

78.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.18 $12.18

$10.74 ₡4,815

13.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$10.32 ₡4,629

-25.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.15 $18.15

$14.10 ₡6,325

28.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$5.03 ₡2,256

-11.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.59 ₡714

34.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.33 $8.33

$4.84 ₡2,171

72.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$3.96 ₡1,776

66.92%

Potato (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$3.76 ₡1,684

35.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.73 ₡1,674

-18.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.08 ₡485

128.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.25 ₡1,456

-5.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.74 $11.74

$5.86 ₡2,627

100.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.18 $20.18

$20.28 ₡9,095

-0.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.90 ₡1,300

-39.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$3.73 ₡1,673

-2.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.50 ₡1,123

29.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.63 ₡732

45.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.71 $39.71

$8.71 ₡3,904

355.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.58 ₡709

-2.53%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-16.22%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-36.10%

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

$190 $190

$93.7 ₡42.0K

102.39%

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

$65.3 $65.3

$35.42 ₡15.9K

84.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$60.0 ₡26.9K

10.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$104 $104

$72.6 ₡32.6K

43.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$12.08 $12.08

$7.74 ₡3,471

56.07%

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

$1,517 $1,517

$1,005 ₡450.9K

50.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K $36.8K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

117.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.00 $37.00

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-49.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.82 $14.82

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-73.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$128 ₡57.5K

-33.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$130 ₡58.5K

6.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,471 $1,471

$932 ₡418.0K

57.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,214 $1,214

$760 ₡340.8K

59.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,332 $2,332

$1,922 ₡862.0K

21.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,179 $2,179

$1,276 ₡572.1K

70.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,117 $4,117

$2,301 ₡1.0M

78.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,017 $4,017

$1,833 ₡821.9K

119.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

8.62

-21.46%

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

Last update for Ukiah, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ukiah, CA

$1.2K 47%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 37.4% $454

Groceries & Markets

Ukiah, CA

$455 17.6%

San Jose

$403 21% 11.5% $52

Eating Out

Ukiah, CA

$327 12.7%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 30.1% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ukiah, CA

$321 12.4%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 41.1% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Ukiah, CA

$128 5%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 31.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Ukiah, CA

$125 4.8%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 39.9% $50

Getting Around

Ukiah, CA

$15 * 0.6%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 434% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,471 in Ukiah, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Ukiah, CA versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $455 in Ukiah, CA vs $403 in San Jose – so San Jose wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ukiah, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

17:27 5:27 PM

1 h ahead of Ukiah, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,036

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

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Between locations

Ukiah, CA San Jose 5,050 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ukiah, 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

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

Yes – Ukiah, CA is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,879 per month in Ukiah, 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 $2,586 in Ukiah, CA and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 34%.

Kindergarten costs $1,517 per month in Ukiah, 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 Ukiah, CA at $2,586. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ukiah, 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, Ukiah, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.