Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ciudad Obregon and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Obregon: $1,183 a month against $1,924 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Obregon
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Ciudad Obregon Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Ciudad Obregon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,183

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,183 in Ciudad Obregon versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Ciudad Obregon $1,183
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Ciudad Obregon versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Ciudad Obregon $1,868
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,553 in Ciudad Obregon versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Ciudad Obregon $2,553
San Jose $3,929

Living in Ciudad Obregon costs roughly 39% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ciudad Obregon is 13% below, San Jose is 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.31 MX$191

$12.29 ₡5,513

-16.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.41 MX$895

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-22.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.32 MX$154

$11.53 ₡5,171

-27.84%

Cappuccino

$3.94 MX$72.7

$4.35 ₡1,953

-9.43%

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

$1.24 MX$22.87

$2.64 ₡1,183

-53.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 MX$20.93

$1.86 ₡836

-39.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 MX$47.31

$3.32 ₡1,490

-22.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 MX$80.1

$4.52 ₡2,026

-4.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 MX$29.02

$2.39 ₡1,073

-34.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 MX$47.49

$3.08 ₡1,381

-16.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$32.05

$2.50 ₡1,119

-30.80%

Eggs

$2.39 MX$44.10

$3.48 ₡1,562

-31.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 MX$153

$10.74 ₡4,815

-23.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 MX$149

$10.32 ₡4,629

-21.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.24 MX$208

$14.10 ₡6,325

-20.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MX$48.92

$5.03 ₡2,256

-47.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$27.48

$1.59 ₡714

-6.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 MX$34.15

$4.84 ₡2,171

-61.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.82

$3.96 ₡1,776

-55.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$3.76 ₡1,684

-46.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 MX$32.07

$3.73 ₡1,674

-53.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.18

$1.08 ₡485

36.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$20.57

$3.25 ₡1,456

-65.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$5.86 ₡2,627

-27.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.44 MX$211

$20.28 ₡9,095

-43.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 MX$31.39

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 MX$57.1

$3.73 ₡1,673

-17.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.48

$1.08 ₡486

-37.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 MX$46.69

$2.50 ₡1,123

1.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 MX$30.81

$1.63 ₡732

2.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.65 MX$178

$8.71 ₡3,904

10.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 MX$25.00

$1.58 ₡709

-14.56%

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

$25.9K MX$478.2K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-22.99%

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

$25.4K MX$469.7K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-39.00%

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

$65.9 MX$1,218

$93.7 ₡42.0K

-29.64%

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

$19.30 MX$357

$35.42 ₡15.9K

-45.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.95 MX$535

$60.0 ₡26.9K

-51.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.67 MX$622

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-53.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.00 MX$370

$25.83 ₡11.6K

-22.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 MX$93.7

$7.74 ₡3,471

-34.50%

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

$215 MX$3,980

$1,005 ₡450.9K

-78.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,644 MX$85.8K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-72.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 MX$987

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-26.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.86 MX$755

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-26.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,862

$128 ₡57.5K

-21.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 MX$1,659

$130 ₡58.5K

-31.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$684 MX$12.6K

$932 ₡418.0K

-26.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 MX$8,053

$760 ₡340.8K

-42.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 MX$21.4K

$1,922 ₡862.0K

-39.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$786 MX$14.5K

$1,276 ₡572.1K

-38.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 MX$35.7K

$2,301 ₡1.0M

-16.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,120 MX$20.7K

$1,833 ₡821.9K

-38.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,189 MX$22.0K

$1,029 ₡461.3K

15.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

8.62

31.09%

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

Last update for Ciudad Obregon: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ciudad Obregon

$436 36.9%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 74.4% $324

Groceries & Markets

Ciudad Obregon

$261 22.1%

San Jose

$403 21% 54.2% $142

Eating Out

Ciudad Obregon

$186 15.7%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 23.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Ciudad Obregon

$128 10.8%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 35.9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ciudad Obregon

$114 9.7%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 65.6% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Ciudad Obregon

$44 3.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 101% $44

Getting Around

Ciudad Obregon

$14 * 1.2%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 493% $67

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 $684 in Ciudad Obregon and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ciudad Obregon pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48.00 in Ciudad Obregon vs $62.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $261 vs $403 per month, with Ciudad Obregon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ciudad Obregon

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

12:32 12:32 PM

1 h ahead of Ciudad Obregon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

329,404

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ciudad Obregon San Jose 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ciudad Obregon
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

Ciudad Obregon vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ciudad Obregon wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in San Jose. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ciudad Obregon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Ciudad Obregon, 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: $684 in Ciudad Obregon versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $215 in Ciudad Obregon versus $1,005 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ciudad Obregon – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $62.0 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,183 in Ciudad Obregon versus $1,924 in San Jose, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ciudad Obregon but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Ciudad Obregon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ciudad Obregon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,183 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ciudad Obregon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ciudad Obregon 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 Ciudad Obregon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.