Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between University Place, WA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,851 in University Place, WA, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in University Place, WA
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University Place, WA Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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University Place, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,851

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,851 per month in University Place, WA vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

University Place, WA $2,851
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $4,224 per month in University Place, WA vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

University Place, WA $4,224
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $5,598 per month in University Place, WA vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

University Place, WA $5,598
San Jose $3,929

University Place, WA costs about 48% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both University Place, WA and San Jose sit above the global median – University Place, WA by 110%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.22 $25.22

$12.29 ₡5,513

105.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$62.3 ₡27.9K

61.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 $12.06

$11.53 ₡5,171

4.60%

Cappuccino

$5.89 $5.89

$4.35 ₡1,953

35.40%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$2.64 ₡1,183

17.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.86 ₡836

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 $7.81

$3.32 ₡1,490

135.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 $8.19

$4.52 ₡2,026

81.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.39 ₡1,073

-51.88%

White Bread (500g)

$4.24 $4.24

$3.08 ₡1,381

37.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$2.50 ₡1,119

128.80%

Eggs

$5.03 $5.03

$3.48 ₡1,562

44.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.27 $16.27

$10.74 ₡4,815

51.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.71 $18.71

$10.32 ₡4,629

81.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.43 $23.43

$14.10 ₡6,325

66.17%

Apples (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$5.03 ₡2,256

17.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.59 ₡714

5.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$4.84 ₡2,171

6.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$3.96 ₡1,776

17.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.76 ₡1,684

-4.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.73 ₡1,674

-21.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.08 ₡485

87.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.25 ₡1,456

-8.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.15 $12.15

$5.86 ₡2,627

107.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 $17.78

$20.28 ₡9,095

-12.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.73 ₡1,673

27.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.08 ₡486

92.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.50 ₡1,123

3.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.63 ₡732

4.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.67 $29.67

$8.71 ₡3,904

240.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.58 ₡709

-12.03%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-17.21%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-36.76%

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

$231 $231

$93.7 ₡42.0K

146.24%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$35.42 ₡15.9K

100.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.1 $87.1

$60.0 ₡26.9K

45.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.92 $40.92

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-43.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$18.14 $18.14

$7.74 ₡3,471

134.37%

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

$2,127 $2,127

$1,005 ₡450.9K

111.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

86.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.0 $60.0

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-17.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.92 $44.92

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-18.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 $129

$128 ₡57.5K

0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$130 ₡58.5K

-2.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 $1,569

$932 ₡418.0K

68.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 $1,307

$760 ₡340.8K

71.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 $2,513

$1,922 ₡862.0K

30.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,123 $2,123

$1,276 ₡572.1K

66.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,448 $2,448

$2,301 ₡1.0M

6.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 $2,307

$1,833 ₡821.9K

25.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,911 $7,911

$1,029 ₡461.3K

669.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for University Place, WA: 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

University Place, WA

$1.3K 45.8%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 41.8% $547

Groceries & Markets

University Place, WA

$507 17.8%

San Jose

$403 21% 20.5% $104

Eating Out

University Place, WA

$389 13.6%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 41.1% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

University Place, WA

$389 13.6%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 51.4% $200

Clothing & Footwear

University Place, WA

$162 5.7%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 7.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

University Place, WA

$77 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 14.1% $11

Getting Around

University Place, WA

$19 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 315% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,569 in University Place, WA 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 669% higher in University Place, WA, 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 University Place, WA versus $62.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $507 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 University Place, WA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

1 h ahead of University Place, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,866

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

University Place, WA San Jose 5,500 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

University Place, WA
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

University Place, WA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – University Place, WA is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,276 per month in University Place, WA 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 $2,851 in University Place, WA and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 48%.

Kindergarten costs $2,127 per month in University Place, WA 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 University Place, WA at $2,851. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in University Place, WA 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, University Place, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.