Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,713 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,713

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,713 in Cartago versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Cartago $1,713
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,362 in Cartago versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Cartago $2,362
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,011 in Cartago versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Cartago $3,011
San Jose $3,934

Living in Cartago costs roughly 12% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cartago 27% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.64 ₡3,875

$12.38 ₡5,551

-30.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.53 ₡15.5K

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-43.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 ₡4,449

$11.45 ₡5,135

-13.36%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,036

$4.39 ₡1,967

3.42%

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

$2.13 ₡955

$2.70 ₡1,211

-21.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 ₡610

$1.93 ₡864

-29.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 ₡964

$3.20 ₡1,433

-32.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 ₡1,820

$4.41 ₡1,979

-7.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$2.44 ₡1,093

-2.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 ₡1,065

$3.05 ₡1,369

-22.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 ₡1,110

$2.41 ₡1,081

2.49%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,601

$3.40 ₡1,523

5.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 ₡3,860

$10.75 ₡4,823

-19.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 ₡4,654

$10.43 ₡4,679

-0.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 ₡6,252

$13.99 ₡6,273

-0.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 ₡2,351

$5.25 ₡2,353

-0.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 ₡579

$1.59 ₡712

-18.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 ₡2,014

$4.69 ₡2,103

-4.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 ₡1,307

$3.95 ₡1,770

-26.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 ₡1,004

$3.92 ₡1,760

-42.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 ₡972

$3.68 ₡1,651

-41.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡487

$1.12 ₡503

-2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡977

$3.19 ₡1,429

-31.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 ₡2,722

$6.00 ₡2,692

1.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 ₡6,797

$19.56 ₡8,771

-22.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 ₡1,296

$2.82 ₡1,263

2.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₡912

$3.59 ₡1,611

-43.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ₡613

$1.12 ₡503

22.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡32.8K

$66.8 ₡30.0K

9.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₡598

$2.50 ₡1,119

-46.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.63 ₡733

-4.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.95 ₡4,015

$8.50 ₡3,812

5.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡677

$1.56 ₡701

-3.21%

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

$21.7K ₡9.7M

$22.4K ₡10.0M

-3.19%

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

$35.1K ₡15.7M

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-1.30%

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

$52.4 ₡23.5K

$95.2 ₡42.7K

-44.94%

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

$35.12 ₡15.8K

$35.58 ₡16.0K

-1.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.9 ₡26.8K

$58.6 ₡26.3K

2.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$72.7 ₡32.6K

1.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$77.8 ₡34.9K

$24.85 ₡11.1K

212.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.27 ₡3,262

$7.58 ₡3,401

-4.09%

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

$549 ₡246.2K

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-45.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,878 ₡3.5M

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-54.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 ₡31.5K

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-0.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 ₡25.3K

$55.8 ₡25.0K

1.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡54.4K

$130 ₡58.2K

-6.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.7 ₡39.3K

$131 ₡58.7K

-32.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 ₡414.2K

$927 ₡415.8K

-0.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$704 ₡315.9K

$774 ₡347.2K

-9.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,869 ₡838.0K

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-4.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 ₡324.7K

$1,288 ₡577.6K

-43.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,344 ₡602.9K

$1,016 ₡455.8K

32.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartago

$704 41.1%

San Jose

$774 40% 9.9% $70

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$348 20.3%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 15.2% $53

Eating Out

Cartago

$186 10.9%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 23.2% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$151 8.8%

San Jose

$174 9% 15.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$147 8.6%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 28.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$88 5.2%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 0.5% $0.5

Getting Around

Cartago

$88 5.1%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 6.7% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $923 in Cartago and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartago pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Cartago vs $61.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $401 per month, with Cartago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Cartago

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

Same time as Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,000

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Cartago San Jose 19 km

From you

Cartago
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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

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

Cartago is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Cartago, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $923 in Cartago versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cartago runs roughly 10% less than in San Jose. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $549 in Cartago versus $1,001 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,713 in Cartago versus $1,938 in San Jose, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cartago but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Cartago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cartago is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in San Jose, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cartago and San Jose are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cartago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.