Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bahia de Caraquez and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahia de Caraquez: $806 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Bahia de Caraquez
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Bahia de Caraquez Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

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Bahia de Caraquez

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$806

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $806 per month in Bahia de Caraquez vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Bahia de Caraquez $806
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $1,384 per month in Bahia de Caraquez vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Bahia de Caraquez $1,384
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $1,963 per month in Bahia de Caraquez vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Bahia de Caraquez $1,963
San Jose $3,934

Bahia de Caraquez is about 58% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bahia de Caraquez sits 40% below the global median, while San Jose is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 $3.96

$12.38 ₡5,551

-68.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.6 $51.6

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-15.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 $9.16

$11.45 ₡5,135

-20.00%

Cappuccino

$2.81 $2.81

$4.39 ₡1,967

-35.99%

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

$0.93 $0.93

$2.70 ₡1,211

-65.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.93 ₡864

-61.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.20 ₡1,433

-7.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$4.41 ₡1,979

-4.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$2.44 ₡1,093

-50.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.05 ₡1,369

-35.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 $1.41

$2.41 ₡1,081

-41.49%

Eggs

$2.08 $2.08

$3.40 ₡1,523

-38.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.07 $7.07

$10.75 ₡4,823

-34.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$10.43 ₡4,679

-51.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.05 $9.05

$13.99 ₡6,273

-35.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$5.25 ₡2,353

-72.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.59 ₡712

-27.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$4.69 ₡2,103

-79.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$3.95 ₡1,770

-75.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$3.92 ₡1,760

-68.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$3.68 ₡1,651

-73.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.12 ₡503

-22.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$3.19 ₡1,429

-68.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 $6.11

$6.00 ₡2,692

1.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 $12.08

$19.56 ₡8,771

-38.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.82 ₡1,263

-44.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$3.59 ₡1,611

-40.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$1.12 ₡503

-66.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.54 $16.54

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-75.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.50 ₡1,119

-44.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.63 ₡733

9.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.18 $12.18

$8.50 ₡3,812

43.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.56 ₡701

-46.79%

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

$20.6K $20.6K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

-7.91%

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

$31.6K $31.6K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-11.18%

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

$39.59 $39.59

$95.2 ₡42.7K

-58.42%

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

$15.13 $15.13

$35.58 ₡16.0K

-57.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.61 $26.61

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-54.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.01 $29.01

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-60.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.11 $17.11

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-31.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 $7.54

$7.58 ₡3,401

-0.53%

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

$369 $369

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-63.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,654 $5,654

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-67.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 $65.7

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-6.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.86 $40.86

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-26.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 $125

$130 ₡58.2K

-3.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.6 $92.6

$131 ₡58.7K

-29.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$261 $261

$927 ₡415.8K

-71.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 $183

$774 ₡347.2K

-76.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 $765

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-61.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$439 $439

$1,288 ₡577.6K

-65.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,253 $1,253

$2,274 ₡1.0M

-44.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$791 $791

$1,831 ₡821.0K

-56.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

8.62

16.59%

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

Last update for Bahia de Caraquez: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bahia de Caraquez

$200 24.8%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 101% $201

Accommodation & Living

Bahia de Caraquez

$183 22.7%

San Jose

$774 40% 323% $591

Clothing & Footwear

Bahia de Caraquez

$146 18.1%

San Jose

$174 9% 19.3% $28

Eating Out

Bahia de Caraquez

$123 15.3%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 86.6% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bahia de Caraquez

$81 10.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 133% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Bahia de Caraquez

$44 5.5%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 99.2% $44

Getting Around

Bahia de Caraquez

$28 3.5%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 189% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $261 in Bahia de Caraquez versus $927 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Bahia de Caraquez versus $61.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $401 – making Bahia de Caraquez the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Bahia de Caraquez

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

17:45 5:45 PM

1 h behind Bahia de Caraquez

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,963

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bahia de Caraquez San Jose 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bahia de Caraquez
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

Bahia de Caraquez vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $806 in Bahia de Caraquez, $1,938 in San Jose – roughly 141% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,208 per month in Bahia de Caraquez and $2,907 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bahia de Caraquez, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $369 per month in Bahia de Caraquez and $1,001 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 101% more in San Jose, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bahia de Caraquez, where all-in costs run around $806, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Bahia de Caraquez it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bahia de Caraquez has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $806 in Bahia de Caraquez to $1,938 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bahia de Caraquez. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.