Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acosta and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Acosta: $1,752 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
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Acosta Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,752

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,752 in Acosta versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Acosta $1,752
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,725 in Acosta versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Acosta $2,725
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,698 in Acosta versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Acosta $3,698
San Jose $3,934

Living in Acosta costs roughly 10% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Acosta 30% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₡5,328

$12.38 ₡5,551

-4.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 ₡26.4K

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-3.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.56 ₡5,184

$11.45 ₡5,135

0.96%

Cappuccino

$4.17 ₡1,869

$4.39 ₡1,967

-5.01%

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

$2.54 ₡1,138

$2.70 ₡1,211

-5.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡830

$1.93 ₡864

-4.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 ₡1,432

$3.20 ₡1,433

-0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₡1,960

$4.41 ₡1,979

-0.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ₡938

$2.44 ₡1,093

-14.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 ₡1,110

$3.05 ₡1,369

-19.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 ₡1,032

$2.41 ₡1,081

-4.56%

Eggs

$3.75 ₡1,680

$3.40 ₡1,523

10.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 ₡4,912

$10.75 ₡4,823

1.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.91 ₡4,894

$10.43 ₡4,679

4.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.12 ₡6,781

$13.99 ₡6,273

8.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.79 ₡2,595

$5.25 ₡2,353

10.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.59 ₡712

11.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.53 ₡1,584

$4.69 ₡2,103

-24.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,448

$3.95 ₡1,770

-18.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 ₡1,464

$3.92 ₡1,760

-16.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.44 ₡1,544

$3.68 ₡1,651

-6.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ₡471

$1.12 ₡503

-6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$3.19 ₡1,429

-25.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₡2,215

$6.00 ₡2,692

-17.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.53 ₡7,861

$19.56 ₡8,771

-10.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₡1,019

$2.82 ₡1,263

-19.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₡1,104

$3.59 ₡1,611

-31.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₡516

$1.12 ₡503

2.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ₡1,026

$2.50 ₡1,119

-8.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 ₡715

$1.63 ₡733

-2.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 ₡4,271

$8.50 ₡3,812

12.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₡653

$1.56 ₡701

-6.41%

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

$22.2K ₡10.0M

$22.4K ₡10.0M

-0.83%

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

$30.8K ₡13.8M

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-13.45%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$95.2 ₡42.7K

-1.56%

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

$34.27 ₡15.4K

$35.58 ₡16.0K

-3.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 ₡25.8K

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-1.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.9 ₡34.5K

$72.7 ₡32.6K

5.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.96 ₡3,571

$7.58 ₡3,401

5.01%

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

$845 ₡379.1K

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-15.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ₡8.2M

$17.1K ₡7.7M

6.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.0 ₡36.3K

$70.5 ₡31.6K

14.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-0.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₡64.0K

$130 ₡58.2K

9.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 ₡51.3K

$131 ₡58.7K

-12.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$787 ₡353.0K

$927 ₡415.8K

-15.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 ₡307.7K

$774 ₡347.2K

-11.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,977 ₡886.4K

$1,967 ₡882.0K

0.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 ₡571.5K

$1,288 ₡577.6K

-1.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,943 ₡871.5K

$2,274 ₡1.0M

-14.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,511 ₡677.5K

$1,016 ₡455.8K

48.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Acosta: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Acosta

$686 39.2%

San Jose

$774 40% 12.9% $88

Groceries & Markets

Acosta

$373 21.3%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 7.4% $28

Eating Out

Acosta

$222 12.7%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 3.3% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acosta

$186 10.6%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 2.1% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Acosta

$177 10.1%

San Jose

$174 9% 1.7% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Acosta

$93 5.3%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 5.4% $5

Getting Around

Acosta

$15 * 0.9%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 451% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $787 in Acosta and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acosta pays 49% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Acosta vs $61.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $401 per month, with Acosta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Acosta

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

Same time as Acosta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,072

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Acosta San Jose 17 km

From you

Acosta
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

Acosta vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acosta and San Jose differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,752 vs $1,938 including rent). Acosta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Acosta, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $787 in Acosta versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,752 per month in Acosta versus $1,938 in San Jose – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,752 in Acosta versus $1,938 in San Jose, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Acosta but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Acosta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Acosta and San Jose are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Acosta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.