Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Urbana, IL and San Jose

For one person, living costs are similar in Urbana, IL and in San Jose: $1,871 and $1,924 a month, rent and utilities included.

91

Cost of Living Index in Urbana, IL
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Urbana, IL Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Urbana, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,871

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,871 per month in Urbana, IL vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Urbana, IL $1,871
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $2,123 per month in Urbana, IL vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Urbana, IL $2,123
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $2,374 per month in Urbana, IL vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Urbana, IL $2,374
San Jose $3,929

Urbana, IL is about 3% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Urbana, IL and San Jose sit above the global median – Urbana, IL by 38%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.83 $14.83

$12.29 ₡5,513

20.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 $59.0

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-5.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 $9.95

$11.53 ₡5,171

-13.70%

Cappuccino

$4.71 $4.71

$4.35 ₡1,953

8.28%

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

$2.25 $2.25

$2.64 ₡1,183

-14.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.86 ₡836

-4.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 $5.46

$3.32 ₡1,490

64.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 $5.65

$4.52 ₡2,026

25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$2.39 ₡1,073

-67.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.08 ₡1,381

-1.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.50 ₡1,119

20.40%

Eggs

$3.82 $3.82

$3.48 ₡1,562

9.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 $12.23

$10.74 ₡4,815

13.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.95 $8.95

$10.32 ₡4,629

-13.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.14 $14.14

$14.10 ₡6,325

0.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$5.03 ₡2,256

-20.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.59 ₡714

2.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$4.84 ₡2,171

-34.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.96 ₡1,776

14.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.76 ₡1,684

-40.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.73 ₡1,674

-28.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.08 ₡485

112.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 $1.37

$3.25 ₡1,456

-57.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.21 $12.21

$5.86 ₡2,627

108.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.22 $15.22

$20.28 ₡9,095

-24.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.90 ₡1,300

-28.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.73 ₡1,673

-5.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.08 ₡486

-8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.50 ₡1,123

21.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 $0.59

$1.63 ₡732

-63.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.08 $25.08

$8.71 ₡3,904

187.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.58 ₡709

-26.58%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-17.60%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-36.91%

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

$242 $242

$93.7 ₡42.0K

158.01%

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

$44.28 $44.28

$35.42 ₡15.9K

25.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.7 $60.7

$60.0 ₡26.9K

1.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$13.14 $13.14

$7.74 ₡3,471

69.77%

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

$1,003 $1,003

$1,005 ₡450.9K

-0.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

20.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.69 $48.69

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-33.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-8.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 $97.7

$128 ₡57.5K

-23.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$130 ₡58.5K

-7.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$866 $866

$932 ₡418.0K

-7.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$746 $746

$760 ₡340.8K

-1.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,774 $1,774

$2,301 ₡1.0M

-22.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,732 $1,732

$1,833 ₡821.9K

-5.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,774 $6,774

$1,029 ₡461.3K

558.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.62

-20.88%

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

Last update for Urbana, IL: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Urbana, IL

$746 39.9%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 1.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Urbana, IL

$347 18.5%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 45.5% $158

Groceries & Markets

Urbana, IL

$340 18.2%

San Jose

$403 21% 18.6% $63

Eating Out

Urbana, IL

$260 13.9%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 11.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Urbana, IL

$143 7.6%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 21.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Urbana, IL

$26 * 1.4%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 235% $62

Getting Around

Urbana, IL

$10 * 0.5%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 709% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $866 in Urbana, IL 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 559% higher in Urbana, IL, 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 $59.0 in Urbana, IL versus $62.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $403 – making Urbana, IL the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Urbana, IL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

13:52 1:52 PM

1 h behind Urbana, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,250

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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Highest

Between locations

Urbana, IL San Jose 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Urbana, IL
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

Urbana, IL vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,807 per month in Urbana, IL 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 Urbana, IL, 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 $1,871 in Urbana, IL and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 3%.

Kindergarten costs $1,003 per month in Urbana, IL 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Urbana, IL, where all-in costs run around $1,871, than in San Jose at $1,924. In Urbana, IL it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Urbana, IL – 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 Urbana, IL. 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.