Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago, Costa Rica and San Ramon

For one person, living costs are similar in Cartago and in San Ramon: $1,733 and $1,729 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index

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Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,733

/mo nomad

San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartago and in San Ramon

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 Ramon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,733 in Cartago versus $1,729 in San Ramon.

Cartago $1,733
San Ramon $1,729

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,363 in Cartago versus $2,722 in San Ramon.

Cartago $2,363
San Ramon $2,722

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,993 in Cartago versus $3,715 in San Ramon.

Cartago $2,993
San Ramon $3,715

Monthly costs are close between Cartago and San Ramon; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.61 ₡3,886

$12.18 ₡5,500

-29.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.63 ₡16.1K

$61.9 ₡27.9K

-42.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.75 ₡4,400

$11.69 ₡5,276

-16.60%

Cappuccino

$4.55 ₡2,056

$3.82 ₡1,726

19.11%

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

$2.24 ₡1,013

$2.21 ₡996

1.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₡618

$1.96 ₡884

-30.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 ₡972

$3.01 ₡1,357

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 ₡1,896

$4.71 ₡2,126

-10.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,079

$2.39 ₡1,077

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 ₡1,118

$3.04 ₡1,371

-18.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,093

$2.53 ₡1,141

-4.35%

Eggs

$3.59 ₡1,622

$5.07 ₡2,288

-29.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 ₡3,940

$10.78 ₡4,869

-19.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 ₡4,788

$10.31 ₡4,654

2.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.93 ₡6,288

$14.28 ₡6,446

-2.45%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 ₡2,279

$4.99 ₡2,253

1.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ₡601

$1.55 ₡700

-14.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 ₡1,975

$3.26 ₡1,471

34.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 ₡1,350

$3.42 ₡1,546

-12.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 ₡977

$3.19 ₡1,442

-32.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,015

$3.22 ₡1,452

-30.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡484

$1.21 ₡547

-11.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡985

$2.74 ₡1,236

-20.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.98 ₡2,700

$5.56 ₡2,511

7.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.61 ₡7,047

$16.31 ₡7,362

-4.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,286

$2.56 ₡1,154

11.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₡911

$2.73 ₡1,234

-26.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 ₡571

$1.30 ₡587

-2.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 ₡33.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ₡591

$2.45 ₡1,108

-46.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡711

$1.57 ₡708

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 ₡3,941

$8.87 ₡4,005

-1.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡675

$1.55 ₡700

-3.23%

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

$34.7K ₡15.7M

$34.5K ₡15.6M

0.56%

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

$42.3K ₡19.1M

$41.3K ₡18.7M

2.30%

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

$53.0 ₡23.9K

$144 ₡65.2K

-63.30%

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

$36.31 ₡16.4K

$44.11 ₡19.9K

-17.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡27.1K

$53.9 ₡24.3K

11.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 ₡30.7K

$59.0 ₡26.6K

15.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$77.5 ₡35.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.16 ₡3,234

$7.81 ₡3,526

-8.32%

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

$559 ₡252.2K

$843 ₡380.8K

-33.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,872 ₡3.6M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-53.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 ₡32.9K

$70.5 ₡31.8K

3.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 ₡25.7K

$55.3 ₡24.9K

2.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡54.8K

$129 ₡58.1K

-5.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 ₡39.3K

$125 ₡56.5K

-30.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ₡331.0K

$816 ₡368.5K

-10.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 ₡327.1K

$626 ₡282.5K

15.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 ₡866.9K

$1,903 ₡859.0K

0.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 ₡316.8K

$1,249 ₡563.9K

-43.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,145 ₡516.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 ₡521.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,305 ₡589.0K

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 25, 2026

Last update for San Ramon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartago

$725 41.8%

San Ramon

$626 36.2% 13.7% $99

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$350 20.2%

San Ramon

$380 22% 8.6% $30

Eating Out

Cartago

$186 10.8%

San Ramon

$220 12.7% 17.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$152 8.8%

San Ramon

$171 9.9% 12.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$149 8.6%

San Ramon

$242 14% 62.4% $93

Getting Around

Cartago

$88 5.1%

San Ramon

$16 * 0.9% 82.5% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$82 4.8%

San Ramon

$75 4.3% 9.3% $7.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Cartago and $816 in San Ramon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36 in Cartago vs $62 in San Ramon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $380 per month, with Cartago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Cartago

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

Same time as Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,000

10,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Cartago San Ramon 65 km

From you

Cartago
San Ramon

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 Ramon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $2,600 in Cartago and $2,593 in San Ramon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $733 in Cartago versus $816 in San Ramon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartago – a meal for two runs $36 versus $62 in San Ramon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $559 in Cartago versus $843 in San Ramon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though San Ramon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Safety-wise, Cartago and San Ramon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.