Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerro de Pasco and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $555 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
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Cerro de Pasco Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$555

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $555 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Cerro de Pasco $555
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $891 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Cerro de Pasco $891
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $1,227 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Cerro de Pasco $1,227
San Jose $3,934

Cerro de Pasco is about 71% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cerro de Pasco sits 59% below the global median, while San Jose is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.83 PEN 9.70

$12.38 ₡5,551

-77.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.34 PEN 101

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-51.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.74 PEN 23.16

$11.45 ₡5,135

-41.14%

Cappuccino

$2.05 PEN 7.03

$4.39 ₡1,967

-53.30%

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

$0.76 PEN 2.61

$2.70 ₡1,211

-71.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 PEN 1.55

$1.93 ₡864

-76.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 PEN 9.22

$3.20 ₡1,433

-15.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 PEN 15.27

$4.41 ₡1,979

0.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 PEN 5.23

$2.44 ₡1,093

-37.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 PEN 8.07

$3.05 ₡1,369

-22.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 PEN 4.34

$2.41 ₡1,081

-47.72%

Eggs

$2.47 PEN 8.47

$3.40 ₡1,523

-27.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 PEN 31.53

$10.75 ₡4,823

-14.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.04 PEN 20.74

$10.43 ₡4,679

-42.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.92 PEN 27.20

$13.99 ₡6,273

-43.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 PEN 6.86

$5.25 ₡2,353

-61.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 PEN 2.61

$1.59 ₡712

-52.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.43 PEN 1.46

$4.69 ₡2,103

-90.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.91

$3.95 ₡1,770

-71.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 PEN 2.41

$3.92 ₡1,760

-82.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 PEN 1.87

$3.68 ₡1,651

-85.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 PEN 2.85

$1.12 ₡503

-25.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 PEN 2.88

$3.19 ₡1,429

-73.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 PEN 19.84

$6.00 ₡2,692

-3.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 PEN 24.68

$19.56 ₡8,771

-63.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.60

$2.82 ₡1,263

-31.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 PEN 9.11

$3.59 ₡1,611

-26.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 PEN 13.68

$2.50 ₡1,119

59.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 PEN 6.84

$1.63 ₡733

22.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 PEN 25.62

$8.50 ₡3,812

-12.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 PEN 5.74

$1.56 ₡701

7.05%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.4K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

-0.71%

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

$26.2K PEN 89.9K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-26.45%

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

$72.8 PEN 250

$95.2 ₡42.7K

-23.51%

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

$16.46 PEN 56.5

$35.58 ₡16.0K

-53.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.53 PEN 94.6

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-53.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.15 PEN 24.56

$7.58 ₡3,401

-5.67%

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

$176 PEN 606

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-82.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.4K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-24.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 PEN 183

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-24.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 PEN 121

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-36.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 PEN 286

$130 ₡58.2K

-35.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 PEN 267

$131 ₡58.7K

-40.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 PEN 1,400

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-79.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

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)

$470 PEN 1,616

$1,016 ₡455.8K

-53.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

8.62

3.71%

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

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cerro de Pasco

$203 36.6%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 97.6% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cerro de Pasco

$117 21.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 62.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Cerro de Pasco

$112 20.2%

San Jose

$174 9% 55.1% $62

Eating Out

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 143% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.6%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 514% $74

Getting Around

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.5%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 487% $68

Accommodation & Living

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0%

San Jose

$774 40%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 116% 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 $29.00 in Cerro de Pasco versus $61.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $401 – making Cerro de Pasco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

14:16 2:16 PM

13:16 1:16 PM

1 h behind Cerro de Pasco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,899

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cerro de Pasco San Jose 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cerro de Pasco
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

Cerro de Pasco vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 249%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $832 per month in Cerro de Pasco and $2,907 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Cerro de Pasco and $61.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 98% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cerro de Pasco, where all-in costs run around $555, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Cerro de Pasco it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cerro de Pasco – 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 Cerro de Pasco. 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.