Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jaco Beach and San Ramon

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaco Beach: $1,445 a month against $1,729 in San Ramon, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
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Jaco Beach Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index

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Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,445

/mo nomad

San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,445 in Jaco Beach versus $1,729 in San Ramon.

Jaco Beach $1,445
San Ramon $1,729

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,296 in Jaco Beach versus $2,722 in San Ramon.

Jaco Beach $2,296
San Ramon $2,722

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,147 in Jaco Beach versus $3,715 in San Ramon.

Jaco Beach $3,147
San Ramon $3,715

Living in Jaco Beach costs roughly 16% less than in San Ramon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jaco Beach 6% above, San Ramon 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.32 ₡5,108

$12.18 ₡5,500

-7.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.14 ₡19.5K

$61.9 ₡27.9K

-30.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 ₡4,615

$11.69 ₡5,276

-12.57%

Cappuccino

$3.99 ₡1,800

$3.82 ₡1,726

4.45%

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

$2.40 ₡1,085

$2.21 ₡996

8.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡844

$1.96 ₡884

-4.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 ₡1,442

$3.01 ₡1,357

5.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₡1,955

$4.71 ₡2,126

-8.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ₡892

$2.39 ₡1,077

-17.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 ₡989

$3.04 ₡1,371

-27.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,079

$2.53 ₡1,141

-5.53%

Eggs

$2.60 ₡1,175

$5.07 ₡2,288

-48.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,868

$10.78 ₡4,869

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 ₡4,010

$10.31 ₡4,654

-13.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 ₡5,468

$14.28 ₡6,446

-15.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 ₡2,234

$4.99 ₡2,253

-0.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ₡749

$1.55 ₡700

7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 ₡2,142

$3.26 ₡1,471

45.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,545

$3.42 ₡1,546

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 ₡676

$3.19 ₡1,442

-52.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ₡641

$3.22 ₡1,452

-55.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₡447

$1.21 ₡547

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₡900

$2.74 ₡1,236

-27.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.01 ₡2,712

$5.56 ₡2,511

8.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.81 ₡6,234

$16.31 ₡7,362

-15.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,192

$2.56 ₡1,154

3.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡986

$2.73 ₡1,234

-20.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡587

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,125

$2.45 ₡1,108

1.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡735

$1.57 ₡708

3.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.53 ₡3,850

$8.87 ₡4,005

-3.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.55 ₡700

1.29%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$34.5K ₡15.6M

-1.75%

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

$42.6K ₡19.2M

$41.3K ₡18.7M

3.12%

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

$79.6 ₡35.9K

$144 ₡65.2K

-44.92%

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

$23.88 ₡10.8K

$44.11 ₡19.9K

-45.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.69 ₡21.5K

$53.9 ₡24.3K

-11.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$59.0 ₡26.6K

-11.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 ₡3,485

$7.81 ₡3,526

-1.15%

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

$479 ₡216.4K

$843 ₡380.8K

-43.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,442 ₡3.4M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-56.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.50 ₡11.5K

$70.5 ₡31.8K

-63.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ₡25.4K

$55.3 ₡24.9K

1.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.3K

$129 ₡58.1K

-1.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.9K

$125 ₡56.5K

5.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₡337.8K

$816 ₡368.5K

-8.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 ₡237.3K

$626 ₡282.5K

-15.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡895.8K

$1,903 ₡859.0K

4.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 ₡496.1K

$1,249 ₡563.9K

-12.03%

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)

$402 ₡181.4K

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 Jaco Beach: 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

Jaco Beach

$526 36.4%

San Ramon

$626 36.2% 19% $100

Groceries & Markets

Jaco Beach

$326 22.6%

San Ramon

$380 22% 16.7% $54

Eating Out

Jaco Beach

$211 14.6%

San Ramon

$220 12.7% 4.2% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Jaco Beach

$154 10.6%

San Ramon

$171 9.9% 11.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jaco Beach

$151 10.5%

San Ramon

$242 14% 60.4% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Jaco Beach

$67 4.7%

San Ramon

$75 4.3% 10.8% $7.3

Getting Around

Jaco Beach

$11 * 0.7%

San Ramon

$16 * 0.9% 45.7% $4.9

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 $748 in Jaco Beach and $816 in San Ramon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Jaco Beach vs $62 in San Ramon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $380 per month, with Jaco Beach cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🕒 Local time

07:51 7:51 AM

Same time as Jaco Beach

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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

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Jaco Beach San Ramon 55 km

From you

Jaco Beach
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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

Jaco Beach vs San Ramon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jaco Beach is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,167 in Jaco Beach 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: $748 in Jaco Beach versus $816 in San Ramon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $479 in Jaco Beach versus $843 in San Ramon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jaco Beach – a meal for two runs $43 versus $62 in San Ramon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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