Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Union, SC and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,365 in Union, SC, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Union, SC outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Union, SC
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Union, SC Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Union, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,365

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,365 per month in Union, SC vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Union, SC $2,365
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,557 per month in Union, SC vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Union, SC $3,557
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,749 per month in Union, SC vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Union, SC $4,749
San Jose $4,054

Union, SC costs about 12% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Union, SC and San Jose sit above the global median – Union, SC by 75%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.74 $8.74

$12.37 ₡5,563

-29.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.8 $99.8

$62.4 ₡28.0K

59.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.67 $8.67

$11.71 ₡5,264

-25.96%

Cappuccino

$5.69 $5.69

$4.54 ₡2,040

25.33%

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

$2.20 $2.20

$2.75 ₡1,238

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.86 ₡837

-1.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.35 ₡1,505

-17.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$4.32 ₡1,944

-21.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.36 ₡1,061

-53.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.07 ₡1,379

9.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.51 ₡1,128

-1.59%

Eggs

$3.19 $3.19

$3.53 ₡1,585

-9.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.90 $8.90

$10.54 ₡4,738

-15.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$10.57 ₡4,754

23.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.96 $14.96

$13.92 ₡6,261

7.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$5.20 ₡2,338

-47.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.65 ₡740

-21.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$4.89 ₡2,198

-33.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.84 ₡1,728

13.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$3.91 ₡1,757

-41.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.76 ₡1,692

-45.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.12 ₡504

55.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 $1.23

$3.22 ₡1,447

-61.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.47 $8.47

$6.02 ₡2,706

40.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.77 $8.77

$19.84 ₡8,919

-55.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.81 ₡1,264

-35.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 $5.22

$3.65 ₡1,643

43.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.08 ₡487

103.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.0 $55.0

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-15.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.26 ₡1,018

23.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.78 ₡799

72.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.57 $35.57

$7.90 ₡3,551

350.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.50 ₡673

-36.67%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-15.99%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-38.62%

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

$177 $177

$93.2 ₡41.9K

89.41%

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

$63.8 $63.8

$36.13 ₡16.2K

76.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.59 $45.59

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-24.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.28 $40.28

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-41.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$11.72 $11.72

$7.67 ₡3,449

52.80%

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

$2,537 $2,537

$972 ₡436.9K

161.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K $32.6K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

72.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.50 $47.50

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-32.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.79 $20.79

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-63.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 $84.1

$129 ₡57.8K

-34.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$131 ₡58.8K

-23.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 $1,350

$1,170 ₡525.9K

15.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 $1,289

$943 ₡424.1K

36.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,217 $2,217

$1,984 ₡892.0K

11.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,191 $2,191

$1,400 ₡629.5K

56.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,783 $2,783

$2,681 ₡1.2M

3.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 $2,649

$2,037 ₡915.8K

30.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,430 $2,430

$987 ₡443.6K

146.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-53.60%

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

Last update for Union, SC: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Union, SC

$1.3K 54.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 26.8% $346

Groceries & Markets

Union, SC

$330 13.9%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 22.1% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Union, SC

$286 12.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 33.6% $96

Eating Out

Union, SC

$201 8.5%

San Jose

$232 11% 15.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Union, SC

$114 4.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 53.1% $60

Getting Around

Union, SC

$82 3.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 1.5% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Union, SC

$64 2.7%

San Jose

$84 4% 32.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,350 in Union, SC 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 Union, SC are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Union, SC versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $330 in Union, SC vs $403 in San Jose – so Union, SC wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Union, SC

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

1 h behind Union, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

Union, SC San Jose 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Union, SC is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,548 per month in Union, SC 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 $1,350 in Union, SC.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Union, SC 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 $2,365 in Union, SC and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 11% cheaper.

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, Union, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.