Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenaventura and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenaventura: $1,308 a month against $1,924 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Buenaventura
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Buenaventura Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Buenaventura

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,308

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,308 per month in Buenaventura vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Buenaventura $1,308
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $2,012 per month in Buenaventura vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Buenaventura $2,012
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $2,716 per month in Buenaventura vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Buenaventura $2,716
San Jose $3,929

Buenaventura is about 32% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Buenaventura sits 3% below the global median, while San Jose is 42% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.61 COP 24.1K

$12.29 ₡5,513

-38.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.62 COP 135.1K

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-31.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 COP 29.8K

$11.53 ₡5,171

-18.39%

Cappuccino

$2.59 COP 8,225

$4.35 ₡1,953

-40.46%

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

$1.38 COP 4,370

$2.64 ₡1,183

-47.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 COP 2,835

$1.86 ₡836

-52.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 COP 9,959

$3.32 ₡1,490

-5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 COP 11.8K

$4.52 ₡2,026

-17.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 COP 4,538

$2.39 ₡1,073

-40.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 COP 7,642

$3.08 ₡1,381

-21.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,169

$2.50 ₡1,119

-34.80%

Eggs

$2.95 COP 9,353

$3.48 ₡1,562

-15.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 COP 24.9K

$10.74 ₡4,815

-26.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 COP 30.5K

$10.32 ₡4,629

-6.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.27 COP 38.9K

$14.10 ₡6,325

-12.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 COP 11.4K

$5.03 ₡2,256

-28.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,665

$1.59 ₡714

-7.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,047

$4.84 ₡2,171

-60.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 COP 5,696

$3.96 ₡1,776

-54.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,737

$3.76 ₡1,684

-60.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,694

$3.73 ₡1,674

-60.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 COP 3,758

$1.08 ₡485

10.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 COP 3,811

$3.25 ₡1,456

-63.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 COP 12.5K

$5.86 ₡2,627

-32.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.14 COP 41.7K

$20.28 ₡9,095

-35.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,474

$2.90 ₡1,300

-51.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 COP 7,555

$3.73 ₡1,673

-36.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 COP 3,450

$1.08 ₡486

0.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 COP 5,079

$2.50 ₡1,123

-36.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 COP 6,457

$1.63 ₡732

25.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.02 COP 28.6K

$8.71 ₡3,904

3.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,080

$1.58 ₡709

-18.35%

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

$24.7K COP 78.5M

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-26.37%

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

$35.4K COP 112.2M

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-15.10%

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

$126 COP 399.9K

$93.7 ₡42.0K

34.68%

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

$13.14 COP 41.7K

$35.42 ₡15.9K

-62.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.17 COP 92.5K

$60.0 ₡26.9K

-51.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.15 COP 120.9K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-47.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 COP 20.6K

$7.74 ₡3,471

-16.02%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$1,005 ₡450.9K

-37.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,516 COP 23.8M

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-55.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 COP 269.2K

$73.1 ₡32.8K

16.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 COP 172.5K

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-1.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.5K

$128 ₡57.5K

8.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 COP 328.1K

$130 ₡58.5K

-20.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 COP 2.1M

$932 ₡418.0K

-29.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 COP 1.5M

$760 ₡340.8K

-37.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 COP 3.2M

$1,922 ₡862.0K

-48.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 COP 2.8M

$1,276 ₡572.1K

-31.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,966 COP 6.2M

$2,301 ₡1.0M

-14.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,628 COP 5.2M

$1,833 ₡821.9K

-11.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

8.62

34.34%

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

Last update for Buenaventura: October 18, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenaventura

$475 36.3%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 60% $285

Groceries & Markets

Buenaventura

$273 20.9%

San Jose

$403 21% 47.5% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Buenaventura

$172 13.1%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 1.4% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenaventura

$168 12.9%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 12.2% $21

Eating Out

Buenaventura

$153 11.7%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 50.1% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Buenaventura

$51 3.9%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 72.2% $37

Getting Around

Buenaventura

$16 * 1.2%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 399% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $653 in Buenaventura versus $932 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 $43.00 in Buenaventura versus $62.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $403 – making Buenaventura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Buenaventura

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:59 12:59 PM

11:59 11:59 AM

1 h behind Buenaventura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,607

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenaventura San Jose 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Buenaventura
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,308 in Buenaventura, $1,924 in San Jose – roughly 47% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,962 per month in Buenaventura and $2,886 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Buenaventura and $62.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% 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 Buenaventura, where all-in costs run around $1,308, than in San Jose at $1,924. In Buenaventura it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,308 in Buenaventura to $1,924 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Buenaventura. 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.