Cost of living comparison
compared to
Brussels vs. San Jose Cost of Living Summary
Brussels is 57.6% more expensive than San Jose.
- Restaurants
-
pay 93.7% more in Brussels
- Groceries
-
pay 14.8% more in Brussels
- Transportation
-
pay 38.3% more in Brussels
- Housing
-
pay 79.0% more in Brussels
- Childcare
-
pay 80.4% more in Brussels
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 75.6% more in Brussels
- Clothing
-
pay 21.5% more in Brussels
The cost of restaurants, childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, transportation, and clothing in Brussels are more expensive than in San Jose. Notably, restaurants, childcare, and housing are significantly more expensive in Brussels.
Brussels vs. San Jose Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Brussels instead of San Jose, you would:
pay 93.7% more for restaurants
|
San Jose
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.95
CRC4,947.81
|
$29.20
€25.18
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.91
CRC4,924.29
|
$14.37
€12.39
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.06
CRC1,022.01
|
$3.20
€2.76
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.67
CRC831.76
|
$3.03
€2.61
|
|
San Jose vs. Brussels - Cost of restaurants
pay 14.8% more for groceries
|
San Jose
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.64
CRC1,311.09
|
$2.86
€2.47
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.95
CRC2,462.15
|
$8.00
€6.90
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.78
CRC3,868.62
|
$5.87
€5.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.88
CRC1,429.67
|
$4.99
€4.31
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.97
CRC1,971.17
|
$6.32
€5.45
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.94
CRC963.65
|
$1.43
€1.23
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
CRC324.89
|
$1.17
€1.01
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.95
CRC967.90
|
$1.21
€1.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.58
CRC786.24
|
$1.73
€1.49
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.55
CRC768.91
|
$1.21
€1.04
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.43
CRC711.41
|
$1.17
€1.01
|
|
San Jose vs. Brussels - Cost of groceries
pay 38.3% more for transportation
|
San Jose
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.39
CRC2,678.58
|
$7.25
€6.25
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.21
CRC20,485.06
|
$64.24
€55.39
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,640.45
CRC18,712,315.88
|
$35,037.93
€30,214.15
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.12
CRC8,011.83
|
$27.33
€23.57
|
|
San Jose vs. Brussels - Cost of transportation
pay 79.0% more for housing
|
San Jose
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.88
CRC29,268.77
|
$56.00
€48.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$891.63
CRC443,258.89
|
$1,315.56
€1,134.44
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$560.77
CRC278,778.03
|
$1,101.57
€949.91
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$68.88
CRC34,242.87
|
$190.72
€164.47
|
|
San Jose vs. Brussels - Cost of housing
pay 80.4% more for childcare
|
San Jose
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$600.27
CRC298,412.20
|
$1,090.35
€940.24
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,608.22
CRC6,267,964.49
|
$22,587.78
€19,478.06
|
|
San Jose vs. Brussels - Cost of childcare
pay 75.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
San Jose
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.67
CRC1,329.56
|
$6.89
€5.94
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.85
CRC1,915.58
|
$4.78
€4.12
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.15
CRC2,560.63
|
$13.43
€11.58
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$55.98
CRC27,831.01
|
$40.10
€34.58
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.91
CRC4,924.29
|
$16.23
€14.00
|
|
San Jose vs. Brussels - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 21.5% more for clothing
|
San Jose
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.74
CRC30,694.76
|
$99.27
€85.60
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.32
CRC25,512.74
|
$46.81
€40.37
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$120.28
CRC59,794.99
|
$112.78
€97.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.98
CRC53,182.37
|
$149.88
€129.25
|
|
San Jose vs. Brussels - 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: December 2025
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