Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Union City, TN and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Union City, TN: $1,653 a month against $1,924 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Union City, TN
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Union City, TN Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Union City, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,653

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,653 per month in Union City, TN vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Union City, TN $1,653
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Union City, TN vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Union City, TN $2,486
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $3,318 per month in Union City, TN vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Union City, TN $3,318
San Jose $3,929

Union City, TN is about 14% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Union City, TN and San Jose sit above the global median – Union City, TN by 22%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.87 $9.87

$12.29 ₡5,513

-19.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 $50.3

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-19.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 $6.95

$11.53 ₡5,171

-39.72%

Cappuccino

$3.11 $3.11

$4.35 ₡1,953

-28.51%

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

$2.20 $2.20

$2.64 ₡1,183

-16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.86 ₡836

-16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.32 ₡1,490

17.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$4.52 ₡2,026

-13.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.39 ₡1,073

-61.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 $2.38

$3.08 ₡1,381

-22.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.50 ₡1,119

-17.20%

Eggs

$2.69 $2.69

$3.48 ₡1,562

-22.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 $7.88

$10.74 ₡4,815

-26.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 $8.85

$10.32 ₡4,629

-14.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$14.10 ₡6,325

32.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$5.03 ₡2,256

-11.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.59 ₡714

-20.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$4.84 ₡2,171

-44.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$3.96 ₡1,776

11.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.76 ₡1,684

-41.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$3.73 ₡1,674

-50.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.08 ₡485

63.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 $1.38

$3.25 ₡1,456

-57.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 $6.83

$5.86 ₡2,627

16.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.97 $13.97

$20.28 ₡9,095

-31.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.90 ₡1,300

-29.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$3.73 ₡1,673

-50.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.08 ₡486

71.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 $4.85

$2.50 ₡1,123

94.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.63 ₡732

-6.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.16 $21.16

$8.71 ₡3,904

142.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.58 ₡709

-47.47%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

10.33%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-34.54%

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

$228 $228

$93.7 ₡42.0K

143.60%

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

$33.13 $33.13

$35.42 ₡15.9K

-6.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$60.0 ₡26.9K

25.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.53 $41.53

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-42.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.06 $7.06

$25.83 ₡11.6K

-72.67%

Cinema Ticket

$14.82 $14.82

$7.74 ₡3,471

91.47%

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

$1,465 $1,465

$1,005 ₡450.9K

45.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.8K $30.8K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

82.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 $55.4

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-24.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.06 $43.06

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-22.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 $90.9

$128 ₡57.5K

-29.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$130 ₡58.5K

4.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$724 $724

$932 ₡418.0K

-22.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 $585

$760 ₡340.8K

-23.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 $1,155

$1,922 ₡862.0K

-39.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 $1,099

$1,276 ₡572.1K

-13.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,327 $2,327

$2,301 ₡1.0M

1.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,591 $2,591

$1,833 ₡821.9K

41.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,019 $2,019

$1,029 ₡461.3K

96.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

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

Last update for Union City, TN: 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

Union City, TN

$585 35.4%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 29.9% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Union City, TN

$336 20.4%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 43.8% $147

Groceries & Markets

Union City, TN

$315 19%

San Jose

$403 21% 28.2% $89

Eating Out

Union City, TN

$179 10.9%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 27.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Union City, TN

$147 8.9%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 18.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Union City, TN

$71 4.3%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 23.7% $17

Getting Around

Union City, TN

$20 * 1.2%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 305% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $724 in Union City, TN 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 96% higher in Union City, TN, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Union City, TN versus $62.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $315 vs $403 – making Union City, TN the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Union City, TN

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

1 h behind Union City, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,930

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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Highest

Between locations

Union City, TN San Jose 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Union City, TN
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

Union City, TN vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,479 per month in Union City, TN 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 Union City, TN, 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 $1,653 in Union City, TN and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 16%.

Kindergarten costs $1,465 per month in Union City, TN 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 $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Union City, TN, where all-in costs run around $1,653, than in San Jose at $1,924. In Union City, TN it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Union City, TN – 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 Union City, TN. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.