Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,428 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

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Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Cancun vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Cancun $1,428
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $2,290 per month in Cancun vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Cancun $2,290
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $3,152 per month in Cancun vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Cancun $3,152
San Jose $3,857

Cancun is about 27% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cancun and San Jose sit above the global median – Cancun by 7%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.15 MX$203

$12.22 ₡5,510

-8.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.6 MX$993

$60.1 ₡27.1K

-9.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 MX$206

$11.77 ₡5,305

-3.99%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$70.3

$4.30 ₡1,939

-10.23%

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

$1.38 MX$25.03

$2.72 ₡1,226

-49.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.62

$1.84 ₡830

-56.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$56.0

$3.28 ₡1,480

-6.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$79.1

$4.36 ₡1,966

-0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$29.66

$2.38 ₡1,074

-31.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 MX$49.35

$3.12 ₡1,408

-13.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$29.99

$2.41 ₡1,086

-31.54%

Eggs

$2.72 MX$49.55

$3.47 ₡1,564

-21.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MX$181

$10.57 ₡4,767

-6.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.80 MX$160

$10.56 ₡4,758

-16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 MX$252

$13.75 ₡6,196

0.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 MX$51.5

$5.04 ₡2,274

-43.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.38

$1.61 ₡727

3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 MX$58.2

$4.59 ₡2,069

-30.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.37

$3.84 ₡1,731

-43.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$36.93

$3.77 ₡1,700

-46.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$34.63

$3.76 ₡1,693

-49.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$20.92

$1.12 ₡506

2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.26

$3.20 ₡1,441

-61.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MX$82.0

$5.84 ₡2,632

-22.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$182

$19.73 ₡8,897

-49.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 MX$28.34

$2.75 ₡1,240

-43.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 MX$49.67

$3.66 ₡1,650

-25.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.71

$1.12 ₡503

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.64 MX$521

$65.1 ₡29.4K

-56.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 MX$81.8

$2.46 ₡1,110

82.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 MX$54.2

$1.54 ₡692

93.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.62 MX$248

$8.46 ₡3,815

60.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.58

$1.55 ₡699

-1.94%

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

$21.0K MX$382.2K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

-3.18%

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

$24.5K MX$445.5K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-29.77%

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

$172 MX$3,137

$94.7 ₡42.7K

82.14%

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

$23.50 MX$427

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-33.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.97 MX$691

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-35.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.57 MX$611

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-53.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.50 MX$246

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-46.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 MX$133

$7.83 ₡3,532

-6.39%

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

$205 MX$3,725

$971 ₡437.9K

-78.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,468 MX$99.5K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-67.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 MX$998

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-23.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 MX$996

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-0.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 MX$1,399

$129 ₡58.2K

-40.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 MX$1,716

$133 ₡60.0K

-29.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 MX$12.2K

$934 ₡420.9K

-28.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 MX$8,440

$770 ₡347.2K

-39.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 MX$25.0K

$1,945 ₡876.7K

-29.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$19.6K

$1,316 ₡593.5K

-18.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,281 MX$23.3K

$2,277 ₡1.0M

-43.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,985 MX$36.1K

$1,795 ₡809.1K

10.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$819 MX$14.9K

$1,006 ₡453.5K

-18.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.62

32.83%

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

Last update for Cancun: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cancun

$464 32.9%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 66% $306

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.3%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 39.2% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$234 16.6%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 19.5% $46

Eating Out

Cancun

$202 14.3%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 12.7% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$126 9%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 38.4% $48

Getting Around

Cancun

$51 3.6%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 57.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$48 3.4%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 82.1% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $672 in Cancun 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 23% 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 $55.0 in Cancun versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $399 – making Cancun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

21:52 9:52 PM

20:52 8:52 PM

1 h behind Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cancun San Jose 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,428 in Cancun, $1,949 in San Jose – roughly 37% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,141 per month in Cancun 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 Cancun, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $205 per month in Cancun and $971 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% 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 Cancun, where all-in costs run around $1,428, than in San Jose at $1,949. In Cancun it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cancun has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,428 in Cancun to $1,949 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cancun. 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.