Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Dorado, AR and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in El Dorado, AR: $1,746 a month against $1,924 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in El Dorado, AR
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El Dorado, AR Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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El Dorado, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,746

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,746 in El Dorado, AR versus $1,924 in San Jose.

El Dorado, AR $1,746
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,547 in El Dorado, AR versus $2,926 in San Jose.

El Dorado, AR $2,547
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,348 in El Dorado, AR versus $3,929 in San Jose.

El Dorado, AR $3,348
San Jose $3,929

Living in El Dorado, AR costs roughly 9% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: El Dorado, AR 29% above, San Jose 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.29 $17.29

$12.29 ₡5,513

40.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 $59.0

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-5.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 $10.86

$11.53 ₡5,171

-5.81%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.35 ₡1,953

15.86%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$2.64 ₡1,183

15.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.86 ₡836

29.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.32 ₡1,490

49.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.31 $6.31

$4.52 ₡2,026

39.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.39 ₡1,073

-53.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 $2.70

$3.08 ₡1,381

-12.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.50 ₡1,119

12.00%

Eggs

$3.36 $3.36

$3.48 ₡1,562

-3.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$10.74 ₡4,815

-5.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.99 $11.99

$10.32 ₡4,629

16.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.50 $22.50

$14.10 ₡6,325

59.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$5.03 ₡2,256

-14.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.59 ₡714

-8.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$4.84 ₡2,171

-7.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$3.96 ₡1,776

-5.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$3.76 ₡1,684

-58.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$3.73 ₡1,674

-32.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.08 ₡485

77.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$3.25 ₡1,456

-43.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.36 $9.36

$5.86 ₡2,627

59.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.55 $13.55

$20.28 ₡9,095

-33.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$3.73 ₡1,673

-54.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.08 ₡486

67.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.50 ₡1,123

-1.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.63 ₡732

-6.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.11 $24.11

$8.71 ₡3,904

176.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.58 ₡709

-41.77%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

-20.47%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-36.85%

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

$134 $134

$93.7 ₡42.0K

42.58%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$35.42 ₡15.9K

68.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.23 $39.23

$60.0 ₡26.9K

-34.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 $42.36

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-41.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$9.09 $9.09

$7.74 ₡3,471

17.44%

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

$1,036 $1,036

$1,005 ₡450.9K

3.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K $19.1K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

13.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-30.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 $34.32

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-38.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 $79.1

$128 ₡57.5K

-38.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.0 $61.0

$130 ₡58.5K

-53.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 $1,537

$932 ₡418.0K

64.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 $678

$760 ₡340.8K

-10.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 $1,892

$1,922 ₡862.0K

-1.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$941 $941

$1,276 ₡572.1K

-26.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,185 $1,185

$2,301 ₡1.0M

-48.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,146 $1,146

$1,833 ₡821.9K

-37.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,169 $4,169

$1,029 ₡461.3K

305.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.62

-21.69%

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

Last update for El Dorado, AR: October 18, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Dorado, AR

$678 38.8%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 12.2% $82

Groceries & Markets

El Dorado, AR

$366 21%

San Jose

$403 21% 10.1% $37

Eating Out

El Dorado, AR

$291 16.6%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 21.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Dorado, AR

$233 13.3%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 18.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

El Dorado, AR

$101 5.8%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 71.9% $73

Sport & Entertainment

El Dorado, AR

$61 3.5%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 45.5% $28

Getting Around

El Dorado, AR

$17 * 1%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 366% $63

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 $1,537 in El Dorado, AR and $932 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

El Dorado, AR pays 305% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in El Dorado, AR vs $62.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $403 per month, with El Dorado, AR cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Dorado, AR

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

08:48 8:48 AM

1 h behind El Dorado, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,756

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

El Dorado, AR San Jose 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

El Dorado, AR
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

El Dorado, AR vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Dorado, AR is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 305% higher in El Dorado, AR, 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: $1,537 in El Dorado, AR versus $932 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,746 per month in El Dorado, AR versus $1,924 in San Jose – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,746 in El Dorado, AR versus $1,924 in San Jose, a $2,500 budget is realistic in El Dorado, AR but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes El Dorado, AR the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, El Dorado, AR 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.

Expats usually find El Dorado, AR gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.