Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jaen and Perez Zeledon

For one person, living is cheaper in Perez Zeledon: $1,328 a month against $1,445 in Jaen, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Jaen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

69

Cost of Living Index in Jaen
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Jaen Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index

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Jaen

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,445

/mo nomad

Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jaen and in Perez Zeledon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Jaen and in Perez Zeledon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,445 per month in Jaen vs $1,328 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Jaen $1,445
Perez Zeledon $1,328

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Jaen vs $2,371 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Jaen $2,113
Perez Zeledon $2,371

A family of three spends $2,780 per month in Jaen vs $3,414 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Jaen $2,780
Perez Zeledon $3,414

Jaen costs about 9% more than Perez Zeledon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Jaen sits 7% above the global median, while Perez Zeledon is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.16

$9.34 ₡4,188

82.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.93 €34.63

$36.62 ₡16.4K

6.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 €7.44

$8.23 ₡3,689

1.70%

Cappuccino

$1.65 €1.47

$2.70 ₡1,210

-38.89%

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

$3.26 €2.90

$1.96 ₡880

66.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.71 ₡766

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 €3.03

$1.79 ₡804

90.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.92

$3.08 ₡1,380

6.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.64 ₡735

4.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 €1.59

$3.03 ₡1,357

-40.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 €1.21

$2.47 ₡1,109

-44.53%

Eggs

$4.14 €3.69

$2.48 ₡1,113

66.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.81 €7.83

$10.62 ₡4,763

-17.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.07 €6.28

$10.36 ₡4,646

-31.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.52 €9.36

$13.82 ₡6,196

-23.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$4.99 ₡2,238

-42.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.08 ₡483

135.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 €3.67

$4.85 ₡2,174

-14.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$3.96 ₡1,777

-24.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$3.86 ₡1,730

-36.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.23 €2.87

$3.78 ₡1,693

-14.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.46 ₡205

273.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.01

$3.21 ₡1,441

-64.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.85

$5.76 ₡2,582

14.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.40 €10.14

$19.78 ₡8,870

-42.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.77 ₡1,240

-47.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.67

$3.50 ₡1,572

-14.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ₡344

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 €4.00

$2.51 ₡1,125

79.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.61 ₡720

36.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.54 €12.05

$8.81 ₡3,952

53.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.54 ₡689

16.88%

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

$35.7K €31.7K

$22.3K ₡10.0M

59.98%

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

$31.3K €27.9K

$34.8K ₡15.6M

-9.91%

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

$165 €146

$92.9 ₡41.7K

77.27%

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

$6.60 €5.87

$23.91 ₡10.7K

-72.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.76 €14.91

$58.7 ₡26.3K

-71.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.39 €29.70

$72.4 ₡32.5K

-53.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 €7.40

$7.46 ₡3,346

11.53%

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

$298 €265

$508 ₡227.7K

-41.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K €11.9K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-20.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.0 €83.6

$72.9 ₡32.7K

29.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.55 €20.06

$56.8 ₡25.5K

-60.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 €128

$129 ₡58.0K

11.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €148

$130 ₡58.1K

28.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$554 €493

$401 ₡180.0K

38.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 €441

$333 ₡149.4K

48.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 €653

$1,898 ₡851.1K

-61.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 €640

$1,258 ₡564.0K

-42.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,775 €1,579

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,372 €1,221

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

8.62

-52.67%

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

Last update for Jaen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jaen

$495 34.3%

Perez Zeledon

$333 25.1% 32.7% $162

Groceries & Markets

Jaen

$282 19.5%

Perez Zeledon

$382 28.8% 35.6% $100

Eating Out

Jaen

$222 15.4%

Perez Zeledon

$162 12.2% 27.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Jaen

$192 13.3%

Perez Zeledon

$175 13.2% 8.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jaen

$188 13%

Perez Zeledon

$176 13.2% 6.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Jaen

$50 3.5%

Perez Zeledon

$87 6.6% 74.5% $37

Getting Around

Jaen

$15 * 1.1%

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1% 12% $1.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $554 in Jaen versus $401 in Perez Zeledon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Jaen versus $37.00 in Perez Zeledon. Groceries tell a different story – $282 in Jaen vs $382 in Perez Zeledon – so Jaen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Jaen

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

04:00 4:00 AM

8 h behind Jaen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,888

135,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jaen Perez Zeledon 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Jaen
Perez Zeledon

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

Jaen vs Perez Zeledon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jaen costs about 9% more than Perez Zeledon, 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 $2,167 per month in Jaen and $1,992 in Perez Zeledon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,445 in Jaen and $1,328 in Perez Zeledon. That's a gap of about 9%.

Kindergarten costs $298 per month in Jaen and $508 in Perez Zeledon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Perez Zeledon, where all-in costs run around $1,328, than in Jaen at $1,445. In Perez Zeledon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jaen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Perez Zeledon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Perez Zeledon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jaen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.