Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wilkes-Barre, PA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Wilkes-Barre, PA: $1,883 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Wilkes-Barre, PA
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Wilkes-Barre, PA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Wilkes-Barre, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,883

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wilkes-Barre, PA 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 Wilkes-Barre, PA and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,883 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Wilkes-Barre, PA $1,883
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $2,939 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Wilkes-Barre, PA $2,939
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $3,996 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Wilkes-Barre, PA $3,996
San Jose $4,054

Wilkes-Barre, PA is about 11% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Wilkes-Barre, PA and San Jose sit above the global median – Wilkes-Barre, PA by 39%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.09 $15.09

$12.37 ₡5,546

21.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 $50.4

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-19.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 $9.74

$11.71 ₡5,248

-16.82%

Cappuccino

$3.59 $3.59

$4.54 ₡2,034

-20.93%

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

$1.03 $1.03

$2.75 ₡1,234

-62.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.86 ₡835

1.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.35 ₡1,501

52.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,938

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.36 ₡1,057

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.07 ₡1,375

17.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.51 ₡1,124

-20.72%

Eggs

$5.83 $5.83

$3.53 ₡1,580

65.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 $8.29

$10.54 ₡4,724

-21.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.49 $14.49

$10.57 ₡4,740

37.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.93 $18.93

$13.92 ₡6,242

35.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$5.20 ₡2,331

-31.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.65 ₡738

33.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$4.89 ₡2,191

9.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.85 $6.85

$3.84 ₡1,722

78.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$3.91 ₡1,752

-54.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$3.76 ₡1,687

-15.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.12 ₡503

102.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$3.22 ₡1,443

-53.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.74 $11.74

$6.02 ₡2,698

95.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$19.84 ₡8,892

-23.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.81 ₡1,261

-38.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,638

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.08 ₡485

42.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,015

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡797

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,540

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.50 ₡671

-21.33%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$33.5K ₡15.0M

-17.17%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-37.55%

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

$158 $158

$93.2 ₡41.8K

69.41%

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

$39.82 $39.82

$36.13 ₡16.2K

10.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.6 $68.6

$60.6 ₡27.2K

13.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.43 $49.43

$68.9 ₡30.9K

-28.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,439

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

$1,049 $1,049

$972 ₡435.6K

7.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K $13.0K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-30.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.96 $49.96

$70.6 ₡31.7K

-29.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.47 $39.47

$56.7 ₡25.4K

-30.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.5 $78.5

$129 ₡57.7K

-38.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 $1,237

$1,170 ₡524.3K

5.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 $857

$943 ₡422.8K

-9.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,760 $1,760

$1,984 ₡889.3K

-11.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,757 $1,757

$1,400 ₡627.6K

25.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡913.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,319 $4,319

$987 ₡442.3K

337.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.62

-23.55%

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

Last update for Wilkes-Barre, PA: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$857 45.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 10.1% $86

Groceries & Markets

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$398 * 21.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 1.1% $4.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$266 14.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 28.7% $76

Eating Out

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$230 * 12.2%

San Jose

$232 11% 0.9% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$76 * 4%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 130% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$49 * 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 70.5% $35

Getting Around

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$6.2 * 0.3%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 1212% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Wilkes-Barre, PA versus $1,170 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 in Wilkes-Barre, PA are about 4.4 times higher, 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 $50 in Wilkes-Barre, PA versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $398 vs $403 – making Wilkes-Barre, PA the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wilkes-Barre, PA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

18:15 6:15 PM

1 h behind Wilkes-Barre, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,288

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 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 November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Wilkes-Barre, PA San Jose 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Wilkes-Barre, PA
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

Wilkes-Barre, PA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,824 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,237 in Wilkes-Barre, PA and $1,170 in San Jose. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Wilkes-Barre, PA and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,049 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,883 in Wilkes-Barre, PA to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.