Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and San Jose Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and San Jose

🙂 Solo nomad: Cartago is 4.2% cheaper than San Jose without rent, and 4.3% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Cartago is 14.8% cheaper than San Jose without rent, and 21.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8 ₡4,006

$10.76 ₡5,385

-25.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.92 ₡16K

$59 ₡29.5K

-45.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.07 ₡4,540

$9.85 ₡4,931

-7.92%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ₡1,929

$3.88 ₡1,942

-0.77%

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

$2.04 ₡1,020

$1.96 ₡983

4.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₡613

$1.59 ₡794

-23.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ₡1,021

$3.04 ₡1,522

-32.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 ₡2,345

$4.59 ₡2,300

1.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ₡989

$2.02 ₡1,013

-1.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.2 ₡1,103

$2.88 ₡1,443

-23.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.2 ₡1,103

$2.13 ₡1,067

3.29%

Eggs

$2.87 ₡1,439

$2.94 ₡1,472

-2.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.06 ₡4,037

$9.69 ₡4,852

-16.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.9 ₡4,456

$9.22 ₡4,617

-3.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.87 ₡6,946

$13.64 ₡6,831

1.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.4 ₡2,205

$4.47 ₡2,238

-1.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 ₡585

$1.45 ₡728

-19.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.93 ₡1,970

$4.38 ₡2,192

-10.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.7 ₡1,352

$3.55 ₡1,779

-23.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 ₡989

$3.55 ₡1,777

-44.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 ₡968

$3.25 ₡1,628

-40.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 ₡486

$1.04 ₡519

-6.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₡1,017

$2.8 ₡1,403

-27.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.37 ₡2,688

$5.43 ₡2,716

-1.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 ₡6,901

$18.98 ₡9,503

-27.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.4 ₡1,203

$2.41 ₡1,205

-0.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₡878

$2.92 ₡1,461

-40.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 ₡531

$1 ₡501

6.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69 ₡34.5K

$41.57 ₡20.8K

65.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₡677

$1.88 ₡939

-28.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 ₡886

$1.86 ₡930

-4.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.7 ₡3,855

$7.8 ₡3,904

-1.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₡695

$1.4 ₡699

-0.71%

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

$37.2K ₡18.6M

$37.7K ₡18.9M

-1.33%

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

$33.1K ₡16.6M

$32.7K ₡16.4M

1.28%

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

$48.99 ₡24.5K

$92.9 ₡46.5K

-47.24%

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

$25.87 ₡12.9K

$25.98 ₡13K

-0.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 ₡28.2K

$60.2 ₡30.1K

-6.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₡28.9K

$56.2 ₡28.2K

2.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.16 ₡12.1K

$38.51 ₡19.3K

-37.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.38 ₡3,192

$9.89 ₡4,953

-35.49%

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

$490 ₡245.4K

$567 ₡283.6K

-13.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,079 ₡3.5M

$12.8K ₡6.4M

-44.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ₡30.9K

$63.5 ₡31.8K

-2.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 ₡26.1K

$50.8 ₡25.4K

2.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ₡54K

$125 ₡62.6K

-13.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 ₡39.8K

$107 ₡53.7K

-25.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 ₡388.3K

$865 ₡433K

-10.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 ₡303.4K

$536 ₡268.3K

13.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₡367.6K

$1,427 ₡714.5K

-48.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 ₡377.1K

$1,034 ₡517.9K

-27.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,869 ₡1.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,697 ₡849.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,613 ₡807.4K

$996 ₡498.4K

62.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

-1.67%

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

Last update for Cartago: October 27, 2025

Last update for San Jose: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia