Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Walnut, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,720 in Walnut, CA, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Walnut, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,720

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,720 per month in Walnut, CA vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Walnut, CA $2,720
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $4,074 per month in Walnut, CA vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Walnut, CA $4,074
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $5,428 per month in Walnut, CA vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Walnut, CA $5,428
San Jose $3,857

Walnut, CA costs about 40% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Walnut, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Walnut, CA by 103%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.96 $19.96

$12.22 ₡5,510

63.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 $79.4

$60.1 ₡27.1K

32.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.16 $15.16

$11.77 ₡5,305

28.80%

Cappuccino

$6.28 $6.28

$4.30 ₡1,939

46.05%

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

$3.54 $3.54

$2.72 ₡1,226

30.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.84 ₡830

29.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.42 $7.42

$3.28 ₡1,480

126.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 $9.48

$4.36 ₡1,966

117.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.38 ₡1,074

-56.30%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$3.12 ₡1,408

28.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.41 ₡1,086

103.73%

Eggs

$4.71 $4.71

$3.47 ₡1,564

35.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$10.57 ₡4,767

24.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.93 $19.93

$10.56 ₡4,758

88.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.15 $15.15

$13.75 ₡6,196

10.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$5.04 ₡2,274

-2.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.61 ₡727

2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$4.59 ₡2,069

21.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.80 $5.80

$3.84 ₡1,731

51.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.77 ₡1,700

-4.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.76 ₡1,693

-41.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.12 ₡506

73.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$3.20 ₡1,441

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.78 $11.78

$5.84 ₡2,632

101.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$19.73 ₡8,897

-24.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.75 ₡1,240

-30.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 $4.21

$3.66 ₡1,650

15.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.12 ₡503

75.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.8 $59.8

$65.1 ₡29.4K

-8.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 $6.31

$2.46 ₡1,110

156.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.54 ₡692

27.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.09 $32.09

$8.46 ₡3,815

279.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.55 ₡699

-0.65%

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

$37.6K $37.6K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

73.03%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-22.72%

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

$168 $168

$94.7 ₡42.7K

77.43%

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

$66.2 $66.2

$35.11 ₡15.8K

88.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.6 $59.6

$58.6 ₡26.4K

1.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.52 $45.52

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-36.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$7.83 ₡3,532

91.83%

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

$1,887 $1,887

$971 ₡437.9K

94.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K $22.2K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

30.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 $56.5

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-20.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 $40.22

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-26.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 $93.1

$129 ₡58.2K

-27.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$133 ₡60.0K

8.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 $1,373

$934 ₡420.9K

47.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 $1,388

$770 ₡347.2K

80.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,540 $2,540

$1,945 ₡876.7K

30.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,856 $1,856

$1,316 ₡593.5K

41.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,068 $3,068

$2,277 ₡1.0M

34.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,076 $2,076

$1,795 ₡809.1K

15.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

8.62

-25.87%

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

Last update for Walnut, CA: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Walnut, CA

$1.4K 49.5%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 44.5% $618

Groceries & Markets

Walnut, CA

$453 16.2%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 11.9% $54

Eating Out

Walnut, CA

$360 12.9%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 36.7% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Walnut, CA

$294 10.5%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 35.9% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Walnut, CA

$150 5.4%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 16.4% $25

Getting Around

Walnut, CA

$84 3%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 4.9% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Walnut, CA

$76 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 16.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,373 in Walnut, CA versus $934 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 $79.0 in Walnut, CA versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $453 vs $399 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Walnut, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

09:29 9:29 AM

1 h ahead of Walnut, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,294

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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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Highest

Between locations

Walnut, CA San Jose 4,360 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Walnut, 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

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

Yes – Walnut, CA is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,080 per month in Walnut, CA and $2,924 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Walnut, CA and $60.0 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 $2,720 in Walnut, CA and $1,949 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 40%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in Walnut, CA at $2,720. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Walnut, 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.

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