Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hermosillo and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Hermosillo: $1,201 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Hermosillo
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Hermosillo Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Hermosillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,201

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,201 per month in Hermosillo vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Hermosillo $1,201
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $1,905 per month in Hermosillo vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Hermosillo $1,905
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $2,608 per month in Hermosillo vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Hermosillo $2,608
San Jose $3,857

Hermosillo is about 38% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hermosillo sits 10% below the global median, while San Jose is 45% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.85 MX$197

$12.22 ₡5,510

-11.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.17 MX$603

$60.1 ₡27.1K

-44.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 MX$151

$11.77 ₡5,305

-29.40%

Cappuccino

$3.03 MX$55.1

$4.30 ₡1,939

-29.53%

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

$1.20 MX$21.78

$2.72 ₡1,226

-55.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$14.89

$1.84 ₡830

-55.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 MX$50.9

$3.28 ₡1,480

-14.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 MX$73.6

$4.36 ₡1,966

-7.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$32.70

$2.38 ₡1,074

-24.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 MX$41.56

$3.12 ₡1,408

-26.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.15

$2.41 ₡1,086

-17.43%

Eggs

$3.26 MX$59.3

$3.47 ₡1,564

-6.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.42 MX$80.3

$10.57 ₡4,767

-58.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.14 MX$112

$10.56 ₡4,758

-41.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.62 MX$248

$13.75 ₡6,196

-0.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.04

$5.04 ₡2,274

-60.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.32

$1.61 ₡727

27.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 MX$50.7

$4.59 ₡2,069

-39.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 MX$34.49

$3.84 ₡1,731

-50.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MX$39.06

$3.77 ₡1,700

-42.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.22

$3.76 ₡1,693

-42.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$18.56

$1.12 ₡506

-8.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 MX$27.60

$3.20 ₡1,441

-52.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MX$81.0

$5.84 ₡2,632

-23.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.69 MX$158

$19.73 ₡8,897

-55.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 MX$44.49

$2.75 ₡1,240

-10.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 MX$59.0

$3.66 ₡1,650

-11.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 MX$7.61

$1.12 ₡503

-62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.20 MX$477

$65.1 ₡29.4K

-59.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.33

$2.46 ₡1,110

-18.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.28 MX$205

$8.46 ₡3,815

33.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.24

$1.55 ₡699

-7.10%

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

$21.2K MX$385.9K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

-2.24%

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

$24.6K MX$447.8K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-29.41%

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

$98.3 MX$1,787

$94.7 ₡42.7K

3.79%

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

$29.47 MX$536

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-16.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.90 MX$598

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-43.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 MX$961

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-26.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.42 MX$372

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-18.94%

Cinema Ticket

$4.50 MX$81.9

$7.83 ₡3,532

-42.53%

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

$299 MX$5,442

$971 ₡437.9K

-69.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,007 MX$91.1K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-70.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.0 MX$1,656

$71.6 ₡32.3K

27.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.31 MX$660

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-33.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 MX$2,706

$129 ₡58.2K

15.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 MX$2,308

$133 ₡60.0K

-4.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 MX$9,782

$934 ₡420.9K

-42.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 MX$5,829

$770 ₡347.2K

-58.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 MX$18.5K

$1,945 ₡876.7K

-47.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 MX$12.9K

$1,316 ₡593.5K

-46.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,820 MX$33.1K

$2,277 ₡1.0M

-20.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$750 MX$13.6K

$1,795 ₡809.1K

-58.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$886 MX$16.1K

$1,006 ₡453.5K

-11.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

8.62

34.57%

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

Last update for Hermosillo: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hermosillo

$320 26.9%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 140% $450

Groceries & Markets

Hermosillo

$259 21.7%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 54.3% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Hermosillo

$181 15.2%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 3.6% $6.5

Eating Out

Hermosillo

$178 15%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 27.9% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hermosillo

$161 13.5%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 17.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Hermosillo

$62 5.2%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 42.1% $26

Getting Around

Hermosillo

$30 * 2.5%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 167% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $538 in Hermosillo versus $934 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 14% 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 $33.00 in Hermosillo versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $399 – making Hermosillo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Hermosillo

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

00:29 12:29 AM

1 h ahead of Hermosillo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

855,563

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hermosillo San Jose 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Hermosillo
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

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

San Jose costs about 62% more than Hermosillo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,802 per month in Hermosillo and $2,924 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hermosillo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 149% less in Hermosillo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $299 per month in Hermosillo and $971 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hermosillo, where all-in costs run around $1,201, than in San Jose at $1,949. In Hermosillo it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hermosillo costs $1,201 versus $1,949 in San Jose. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Hermosillo. 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.