Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waukegan, IL and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,588 in Waukegan, IL, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Waukegan, IL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Waukegan, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,588

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,588 per month in Waukegan, IL vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Waukegan, IL $2,588
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,760 per month in Waukegan, IL vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Waukegan, IL $3,760
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $4,931 per month in Waukegan, IL vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Waukegan, IL $4,931
San Jose $3,929

Waukegan, IL costs about 35% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Waukegan, IL and San Jose sit above the global median – Waukegan, IL by 91%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.80 $18.80

$12.29 ₡5,513

52.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$62.3 ₡27.9K

18.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 $11.09

$11.53 ₡5,171

-3.82%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.35 ₡1,953

15.86%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$2.64 ₡1,183

-6.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.86 ₡836

4.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.32 ₡1,490

84.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$4.52 ₡2,026

58.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.39 ₡1,073

-57.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.08 ₡1,381

11.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.50 ₡1,119

67.60%

Eggs

$4.06 $4.06

$3.48 ₡1,562

16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 $12.46

$10.74 ₡4,815

16.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 $11.48

$10.32 ₡4,629

11.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 $15.19

$14.10 ₡6,325

7.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$5.03 ₡2,256

-1.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.59 ₡714

-1.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.84 ₡2,171

-14.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$3.96 ₡1,776

16.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.76 ₡1,684

-26.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.73 ₡1,674

-23.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.08 ₡485

87.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$3.25 ₡1,456

-36.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 $9.56

$5.86 ₡2,627

63.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 $13.83

$20.28 ₡9,095

-31.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$3.73 ₡1,673

-12.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.08 ₡486

81.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.50 ₡1,123

40.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.63 ₡732

-3.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.94 $28.94

$8.71 ₡3,904

232.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.58 ₡709

-42.41%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-11.47%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-38.57%

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

$188 $188

$93.7 ₡42.0K

101.08%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$35.42 ₡15.9K

46.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$60.0 ₡26.9K

10.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-41.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 $13.37

$7.74 ₡3,471

72.74%

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

$1,314 $1,314

$1,005 ₡450.9K

30.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

39.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 $51.5

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-29.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 $40.19

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-27.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$128 ₡57.5K

-31.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$130 ₡58.5K

-12.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 $1,631

$932 ₡418.0K

75.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 $1,373

$760 ₡340.8K

80.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,587 $2,587

$1,922 ₡862.0K

34.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,235 $2,235

$1,276 ₡572.1K

75.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,798 $2,798

$2,301 ₡1.0M

21.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,430 $2,430

$1,833 ₡821.9K

32.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Waukegan, 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

Waukegan, IL

$1.4K 53.1%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 44.7% $613

Groceries & Markets

Waukegan, IL

$382 14.7%

San Jose

$403 21% 5.7% $22

Eating Out

Waukegan, IL

$307 11.9%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 25.4% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waukegan, IL

$306 11.8%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 38.3% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Waukegan, IL

$132 5.1%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 32% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Waukegan, IL

$69 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 27.4% $19

Getting Around

Waukegan, IL

$19 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 317% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,631 in Waukegan, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Waukegan, IL versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Waukegan, IL vs $403 in San Jose – so Waukegan, IL wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waukegan, IL

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

00:20 12:20 AM

23:20 11:20 PM

1 h behind Waukegan, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,321

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

Waukegan, IL San Jose 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Waukegan, 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

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

Yes – Waukegan, IL is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,882 per month in Waukegan, 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 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 $2,588 in Waukegan, IL and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 35%.

Kindergarten costs $1,314 per month in Waukegan, 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 $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,924, than in Waukegan, IL at $2,588. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waukegan, IL 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.

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