Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Westminster, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,924 a month against $2,479 in Westminster, CA, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

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

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Westminster, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,479

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,479 per month in Westminster, CA vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Westminster, CA $2,479
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $3,908 per month in Westminster, CA vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Westminster, CA $3,908
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $5,337 per month in Westminster, CA vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Westminster, CA $5,337
San Jose $3,929

Westminster, CA costs about 29% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Westminster, CA and San Jose sit above the global median – Westminster, CA by 83%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.14 $25.14

$12.29 ₡5,513

104.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 $77.0

$62.3 ₡27.9K

23.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 $11.68

$11.53 ₡5,171

1.30%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$4.35 ₡1,953

27.13%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$2.64 ₡1,183

4.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.86 ₡836

10.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.37 $7.37

$3.32 ₡1,490

121.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.43 $9.43

$4.52 ₡2,026

108.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.39 ₡1,073

-50.63%

White Bread (500g)

$5.20 $5.20

$3.08 ₡1,381

68.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$2.50 ₡1,119

70.00%

Eggs

$4.92 $4.92

$3.48 ₡1,562

41.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.55 $12.55

$10.74 ₡4,815

16.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 $8.93

$10.32 ₡4,629

-13.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.82 $13.82

$14.10 ₡6,325

-1.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$5.03 ₡2,256

-3.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.59 ₡714

11.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$4.84 ₡2,171

-16.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$3.96 ₡1,776

40.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.76 ₡1,684

-5.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$3.73 ₡1,674

-15.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.08 ₡485

100.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$3.25 ₡1,456

-29.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.87 $11.87

$5.86 ₡2,627

102.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 $15.10

$20.28 ₡9,095

-25.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.73 ₡1,673

-14.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.08 ₡486

74.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.50 ₡1,123

75.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.63 ₡732

17.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$8.71 ₡3,904

305.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.58 ₡709

0.63%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-17.82%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-37.03%

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

$212 $212

$93.7 ₡42.0K

126.08%

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

$71.2 $71.2

$35.42 ₡15.9K

100.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$60.0 ₡26.9K

15.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.31 $47.31

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-34.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$11.89 $11.89

$7.74 ₡3,471

53.62%

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

$1,192 $1,192

$1,005 ₡450.9K

18.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.5K $42.5K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

151.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.2 $74.2

$73.1 ₡32.8K

1.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.57 $47.57

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-14.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$128 ₡57.5K

-18.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$130 ₡58.5K

-21.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 $1,465

$932 ₡418.0K

57.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 $1,108

$760 ₡340.8K

45.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,743 $2,743

$1,922 ₡862.0K

42.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 $2,324

$1,276 ₡572.1K

82.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,933 $2,933

$2,301 ₡1.0M

27.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,679 $2,679

$1,833 ₡821.9K

46.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,559 $4,559

$1,029 ₡461.3K

343.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

8.62

-26.80%

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

Last update for Westminster, CA: October 20, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Westminster, CA

$1.1K 44.7%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 31.4% $348

Groceries & Markets

Westminster, CA

$402 16.2%

San Jose

$403 21% 0.4% $1.6

Eating Out

Westminster, CA

$377 15.2%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 39.4% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Westminster, CA

$352 14.2%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 46.3% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Westminster, CA

$148 6%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 17.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Westminster, CA

$71 2.9%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 23.9% $17

Getting Around

Westminster, CA

$21 * 0.9%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 275% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,465 in Westminster, CA 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 343% higher in Westminster, CA, 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 $77.0 in Westminster, CA versus $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $402 in Westminster, CA vs $403 in San Jose – so Westminster, CA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Westminster, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

1 h ahead of Westminster, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,945

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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Between locations

Westminster, CA San Jose 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Westminster, 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

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

Yes – Westminster, CA is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,719 per month in Westminster, CA 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 $2,479 in Westminster, CA and $1,924 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 29%.

Kindergarten costs $1,192 per month in Westminster, CA 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 Westminster, CA at $2,479. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Westminster, 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, Westminster, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.