Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waunakee, WI and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,718 in Waunakee, WI, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Waunakee, WI
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Waunakee, WI Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Waunakee, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,718

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,718 per month in Waunakee, WI vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Waunakee, WI $2,718
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,864 per month in Waunakee, WI vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Waunakee, WI $3,864
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $5,010 per month in Waunakee, WI vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Waunakee, WI $5,010
San Jose $3,929

Waunakee, WI costs about 41% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Waunakee, WI and San Jose sit above the global median – Waunakee, WI by 101%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.03 $20.03

$12.29 ₡5,513

62.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.4 $80.4

$62.3 ₡27.9K

29.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.75 $12.75

$11.53 ₡5,171

10.58%

Cappuccino

$5.75 $5.75

$4.35 ₡1,953

32.18%

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

$3.08 $3.08

$2.64 ₡1,183

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.86 ₡836

21.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.09 $7.09

$3.32 ₡1,490

113.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.24 $8.24

$4.52 ₡2,026

82.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.39 ₡1,073

-58.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.84 $3.84

$3.08 ₡1,381

24.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.50 ₡1,119

74.40%

Eggs

$3.73 $3.73

$3.48 ₡1,562

7.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.30 $14.30

$10.74 ₡4,815

33.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$10.32 ₡4,629

27.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.47 $18.47

$14.10 ₡6,325

30.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$5.03 ₡2,256

-7.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.59 ₡714

2.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$4.84 ₡2,171

-14.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.96 ₡1,776

25.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$3.76 ₡1,684

-28.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.73 ₡1,674

-27.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.08 ₡485

93.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.25 ₡1,456

-25.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.75 $10.75

$5.86 ₡2,627

83.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 $14.96

$20.28 ₡9,095

-26.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.90 ₡1,300

-9.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.73 ₡1,673

-9.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.08 ₡486

103.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.50 ₡1,123

28.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.63 ₡732

-12.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.97 $24.97

$8.71 ₡3,904

186.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.58 ₡709

-31.65%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-10.70%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-36.88%

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

$190 $190

$93.7 ₡42.0K

103.03%

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

$68.2 $68.2

$35.42 ₡15.9K

92.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$60.0 ₡26.9K

15.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.22 $42.22

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-41.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 $15.11

$7.74 ₡3,471

95.22%

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

$1,681 $1,681

$1,005 ₡450.9K

67.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

40.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 $64.1

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-12.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-7.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 $100.0

$128 ₡57.5K

-22.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$130 ₡58.5K

-5.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 $1,486

$932 ₡418.0K

59.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 $1,386

$760 ₡340.8K

82.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 $2,665

$1,922 ₡862.0K

38.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 $2,045

$1,276 ₡572.1K

60.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,616 $2,616

$2,301 ₡1.0M

13.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,419 $2,419

$1,833 ₡821.9K

31.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

8.62

-22.39%

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

Last update for Waunakee, WI: October 18, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waunakee, WI

$1.4K 51%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 45.2% $626

Groceries & Markets

Waunakee, WI

$420 15.5%

San Jose

$403 21% 4% $17

Eating Out

Waunakee, WI

$341 12.5%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 32.9% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waunakee, WI

$328 12.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 42.3% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Waunakee, WI

$152 5.6%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 14.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Waunakee, WI

$72 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 21.6% $16

Getting Around

Waunakee, WI

$19 * 0.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 320% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,486 in Waunakee, WI 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 $80.0 in Waunakee, WI versus $62.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $420 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waunakee, WI

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

23:36 11:36 PM

22:36 10:36 PM

1 h behind Waunakee, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,879

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

Waunakee, WI San Jose 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Waunakee, WI
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

Waunakee, WI vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Waunakee, WI is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,077 per month in Waunakee, WI 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 $2,718 in Waunakee, WI and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 41%.

Kindergarten costs $1,681 per month in Waunakee, WI 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 Waunakee, WI at $2,718. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waunakee, WI 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, Waunakee, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.