Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: $1,661 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. The total is higher in San Jose despite lower rent and utilities.

80

Cost of Living Index in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,661

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,661 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,661
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $2,454 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,454
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $3,248 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,248
San Jose $3,857

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur is about 15% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and San Jose sit above the global median – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur by 24%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.31 MX$188

$12.22 ₡5,510

-15.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.6 MX$920

$60.1 ₡27.1K

-15.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 MX$185

$11.77 ₡5,305

-13.85%

Cappuccino

$3.53 MX$64.2

$4.30 ₡1,939

-17.91%

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

$1.49 MX$27.18

$2.72 ₡1,226

-45.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$17.99

$1.84 ₡830

-46.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 MX$45.60

$3.28 ₡1,480

-23.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MX$81.3

$4.36 ₡1,966

2.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.19

$2.38 ₡1,074

-25.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 MX$57.8

$3.12 ₡1,408

1.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 MX$46.61

$2.41 ₡1,086

6.22%

Eggs

$2.35 MX$42.81

$3.47 ₡1,564

-32.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 MX$211

$10.57 ₡4,767

9.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.11 MX$184

$10.56 ₡4,758

-4.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.70 MX$249

$13.75 ₡6,196

-0.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$49.60

$5.04 ₡2,274

-45.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.14

$1.61 ₡727

-3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 MX$28.97

$4.59 ₡2,069

-65.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.52

$3.84 ₡1,731

-54.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 MX$22.88

$3.77 ₡1,700

-66.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 MX$33.58

$3.76 ₡1,693

-50.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 MX$50.5

$1.12 ₡506

147.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.17

$3.20 ₡1,441

-60.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.06 MX$92.1

$5.84 ₡2,632

-13.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 MX$204

$19.73 ₡8,897

-43.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 MX$27.11

$2.75 ₡1,240

-45.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 MX$64.2

$3.66 ₡1,650

-3.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$15.83

$1.12 ₡503

-22.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 MX$967

$65.1 ₡29.4K

-18.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 MX$79.4

$2.46 ₡1,110

77.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 MX$55.6

$1.54 ₡692

98.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 MX$193

$8.46 ₡3,815

25.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.53

$1.55 ₡699

-5.81%

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

$21.5K MX$390.4K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

-1.10%

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

$24.4K MX$443.9K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-30.03%

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

$86.9 MX$1,580

$94.7 ₡42.7K

-8.27%

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

$25.56 MX$465

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-27.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.06 MX$583

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-45.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.89 MX$835

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-36.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.59 MX$557

$25.19 ₡11.4K

21.44%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MX$77.1

$7.83 ₡3,532

-45.85%

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

$231 MX$4,207

$971 ₡437.9K

-76.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,373 MX$152.3K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-50.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 MX$1,323

$71.6 ₡32.3K

1.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.3 MX$970

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-2.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 MX$1,768

$129 ₡58.2K

-24.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.5 MX$1,229

$133 ₡60.0K

-49.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 MX$21.8K

$934 ₡420.9K

28.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 MX$13.8K

$770 ₡347.2K

-1.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 MX$46.3K

$1,945 ₡876.7K

30.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 MX$22.1K

$1,316 ₡593.5K

-7.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,814 MX$69.4K

$2,277 ₡1.0M

67.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,196 MX$39.9K

$1,795 ₡809.1K

22.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.8K

$1,006 ₡453.5K

-24.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

8.62

34.57%

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

Last update for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$758 45.8%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 1.6% $12

Groceries & Markets

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$304 18.4%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 31.1% $95

Eating Out

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$187 11.3%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 22.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$144 8.7%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 30.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$131 7.9%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 33.6% $44

Getting Around

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$76 4.6%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 4.5% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$54 3.3%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 61.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,197 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $934 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.

Salaries run about 33% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $399 – making Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

01:59 1:59 AM

02:59 2:59 AM

1 h ahead of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,694

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur San Jose 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,491 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $2,924 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $231 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $971 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, where all-in costs run around $1,661, than in San Jose at $1,949. In Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. 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.