Cost of living comparison
compared to
Fort Lauderdale vs. San Jose Cost of Living Summary
Fort Lauderdale is 17.6% cheaper than San Jose.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.9% less in Fort Lauderdale
- Groceries
-
pay 21.9% less in Fort Lauderdale
- Transportation
-
pay 20.3% less in Fort Lauderdale
- Housing
-
pay 20.9% less in Fort Lauderdale
- Childcare
-
pay 31.5% less in Fort Lauderdale
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 19.7% less in Fort Lauderdale
- Clothing
-
pay 6.7% less in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale vs. San Jose Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Fort Lauderdale instead of San Jose, you would:
pay 1.9% less for restaurants
|
San Jose
|
Fort Lauderdale
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.50
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$11.98
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.42
|
$2.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.44
|
$2.04
|
|
San Jose vs. Fort Lauderdale - Cost of restaurants
pay 21.9% less for groceries
|
San Jose
|
Fort Lauderdale
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$5.00
|
$4.48
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$11.39
|
$8.26
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.64
|
$3.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.40
|
$4.37
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.98
|
$4.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.95
|
$2.82
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.18
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$2.25
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.01
|
$2.54
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.94
|
$1.41
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$1.73
|
|
San Jose vs. Fort Lauderdale - Cost of groceries
pay 20.3% less for transportation
|
San Jose
|
Fort Lauderdale
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.84
|
$3.26
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.00
|
$72.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,753.89
|
$29,003.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.41
|
$16.93
|
|
San Jose vs. Fort Lauderdale - Cost of transportation
pay 20.9% less for housing
|
San Jose
|
Fort Lauderdale
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.13
|
$70.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,916.67
|
$2,380.22
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,700.00
|
$1,983.11
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$221.60
|
$136.01
|
|
San Jose vs. Fort Lauderdale - Cost of housing
pay 31.5% less for childcare
|
San Jose
|
Fort Lauderdale
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,866.67
|
$816.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$39,800.00
|
$37,150.00
|
|
San Jose vs. Fort Lauderdale - Cost of childcare
pay 19.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Jose
|
Fort Lauderdale
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$9.00
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.83
|
$5.14
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.50
|
$10.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$113.89
|
$72.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.00
|
$16.50
|
|
San Jose vs. Fort Lauderdale - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.7% less for clothing
|
San Jose
|
Fort Lauderdale
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.50
|
$47.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.00
|
$43.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.89
|
$93.33
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$125.00
|
$111.25
|
|
San Jose vs. Fort Lauderdale - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: San Jose vs. Fort Lauderdale
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Fort Lauderdale or San Jose. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.