Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Worcester, MA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,803 in Worcester, MA, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Worcester, MA
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Worcester, MA Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Worcester, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,803

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,803 per month in Worcester, MA vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Worcester, MA $2,803
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,951 per month in Worcester, MA vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Worcester, MA $3,951
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,099 per month in Worcester, MA vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Worcester, MA $5,099
San Jose $4,054

Worcester, MA costs about 33% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Worcester, MA and San Jose sit above the global median – Worcester, MA by 107%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.05 $22.05

$12.37 ₡5,563

78.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.8 $72.8

$62.4 ₡28.0K

16.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 $11.95

$11.71 ₡5,264

2.05%

Cappuccino

$5.10 $5.10

$4.54 ₡2,040

12.33%

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

$2.36 $2.36

$2.75 ₡1,238

-14.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.86 ₡837

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 $6.09

$3.35 ₡1,505

81.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 $7.05

$4.32 ₡1,944

63.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.36 ₡1,061

-47.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.07 ₡1,379

19.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$2.51 ₡1,128

93.23%

Eggs

$3.81 $3.81

$3.53 ₡1,585

7.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.32 $19.32

$10.54 ₡4,738

83.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.87 $10.87

$10.57 ₡4,754

2.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.55 $20.55

$13.92 ₡6,261

47.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$5.20 ₡2,338

-29.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.65 ₡740

-15.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$4.89 ₡2,198

-28.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.84 ₡1,728

26.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.91 ₡1,757

-26.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.76 ₡1,692

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.12 ₡504

65.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$3.22 ₡1,447

-50.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 $13.33

$6.02 ₡2,706

121.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 $11.86

$19.84 ₡8,919

-40.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.81 ₡1,264

-37.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.65 ₡1,643

-8.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.26 ₡1,018

124.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.78 ₡799

34.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.38 $36.38

$7.90 ₡3,551

360.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.50 ₡673

-26.67%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.54%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-36.61%

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

$196 $196

$93.2 ₡41.9K

110.11%

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

$55.7 $55.7

$36.13 ₡16.2K

54.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.5 $61.5

$60.6 ₡27.2K

1.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.74 $33.74

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-51.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.31 $30.31

$24.94 ₡11.2K

21.53%

Cinema Ticket

$16.61 $16.61

$7.67 ₡3,449

116.56%

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

$1,726 $1,726

$972 ₡436.9K

77.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K $23.4K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

24.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 $48.18

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-31.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.61 $34.61

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-38.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 $90.4

$129 ₡57.8K

-29.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 $146

$131 ₡58.8K

11.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,969 $1,969

$1,170 ₡525.9K

68.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 $1,524

$943 ₡424.1K

61.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,919 $2,919

$1,984 ₡892.0K

47.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,234 $2,234

$1,400 ₡629.5K

59.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,081 $3,081

$2,681 ₡1.2M

14.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,728 $2,728

$2,037 ₡915.8K

33.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,179 $4,179

$987 ₡443.6K

323.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.33

8.62

-26.57%

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

Last update for Worcester, MA: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Worcester, MA

$1.5K 54.4%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 38.1% $581

Groceries & Markets

Worcester, MA

$404 14.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 0.3% $1.2

Eating Out

Worcester, MA

$334 11.9%

San Jose

$232 11% 30.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Worcester, MA

$313 11.2%

San Jose

$190 9% 39.3% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Worcester, MA

$143 5.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 21.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Worcester, MA

$67 2.4%

San Jose

$84 4% 25.8% $17

Getting Around

Worcester, MA

$17 * 0.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 372% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,969 in Worcester, MA 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 Worcester, MA are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Worcester, MA versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $404 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Worcester, MA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

04:09 4:09 AM

1 h behind Worcester, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

206,518

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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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Between locations

Worcester, MA San Jose 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Worcester, MA
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

Worcester, MA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Worcester, MA is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,204 per month in Worcester, MA and $3,161 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,969 in Worcester, MA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Worcester, MA and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,726 per month in Worcester, MA and $972 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 $2,107, than in Worcester, MA at $2,803. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Worcester, MA 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Worcester, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.