Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leticia and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Leticia: $1,376 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Leticia
Learn more

Leticia Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Leticia

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,376

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,376 in Leticia versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Leticia $1,376
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,110 in Leticia versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Leticia $2,110
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,844 in Leticia versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Leticia $2,844
San Jose $3,934

Living in Leticia costs roughly 29% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leticia 2% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 COP 26.8K

$12.38 ₡5,551

-31.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.96 COP 120.3K

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-37.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 COP 29.2K

$11.45 ₡5,135

-19.65%

Cappuccino

$2.22 COP 7,037

$4.39 ₡1,967

-49.43%

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

$1.53 COP 4,864

$2.70 ₡1,211

-43.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 COP 2,712

$1.93 ₡864

-55.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.59 COP 11.4K

$3.20 ₡1,433

12.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 COP 10.2K

$4.41 ₡1,979

-27.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 COP 5,072

$2.44 ₡1,093

-34.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 COP 8,103

$3.05 ₡1,369

-16.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 COP 5,720

$2.41 ₡1,081

-25.31%

Eggs

$3.06 COP 9,695

$3.40 ₡1,523

-10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.01 COP 28.6K

$10.75 ₡4,823

-16.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.77 COP 34.2K

$10.43 ₡4,679

3.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.71 COP 37.1K

$13.99 ₡6,273

-16.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 COP 10.4K

$5.25 ₡2,353

-37.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,334

$1.59 ₡712

-13.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 COP 5,961

$4.69 ₡2,103

-59.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 COP 5,657

$3.95 ₡1,770

-54.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 COP 4,291

$3.92 ₡1,760

-65.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 COP 4,775

$3.68 ₡1,651

-58.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,576

$1.12 ₡503

0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 COP 3,430

$3.19 ₡1,429

-66.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 COP 11.1K

$6.00 ₡2,692

-41.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 COP 42.9K

$19.56 ₡8,771

-30.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 COP 4,117

$2.82 ₡1,263

-53.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 COP 7,641

$3.59 ₡1,611

-32.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 COP 3,092

$1.12 ₡503

-12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 COP 4,814

$2.50 ₡1,119

-39.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 COP 5,891

$1.63 ₡733

14.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.41 COP 26.7K

$8.50 ₡3,812

-1.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 COP 4,318

$1.56 ₡701

-12.82%

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

$23.9K COP 75.7M

$22.4K ₡10.0M

6.54%

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

$37.6K COP 119.2M

$35.6K ₡16.0M

5.66%

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

$112 COP 354.1K

$95.2 ₡42.7K

17.30%

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

$14.80 COP 46.9K

$35.58 ₡16.0K

-58.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.90 COP 101.1K

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-45.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.84 COP 126.3K

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-45.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$5.73 COP 18.2K

$7.58 ₡3,401

-24.41%

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

$579 COP 1.8M

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-42.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,257 COP 23.0M

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-57.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 COP 276.0K

$70.5 ₡31.6K

23.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 COP 197.2K

$55.8 ₡25.0K

11.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 COP 454.3K

$130 ₡58.2K

10.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 COP 364.6K

$131 ₡58.7K

-12.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 COP 2.0M

$927 ₡415.8K

-33.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$531 COP 1.7M

$774 ₡347.2K

-31.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 COP 2.9M

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-53.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 COP 3.1M

$1,288 ₡577.6K

-23.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,225 COP 7.1M

$2,274 ₡1.0M

-2.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,737 COP 5.5M

$1,831 ₡821.0K

-5.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

8.62

34.34%

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

Last update for Leticia: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leticia

$531 38.6%

San Jose

$774 40% 45.8% $243

Groceries & Markets

Leticia

$281 20.4%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 42.7% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Leticia

$183 13.3%

San Jose

$174 9% 5.1% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leticia

$158 11.5%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 19.6% $31

Eating Out

Leticia

$156 11.3%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 47.2% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Leticia

$51 3.7%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 71.3% $37

Getting Around

Leticia

$15 * 1.1%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 457% $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 $619 in Leticia and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38.00 in Leticia vs $61.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $281 vs $401 per month, with Leticia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Leticia

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

20:25 8:25 PM

19:25 7:25 PM

1 h behind Leticia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,000

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Leticia San Jose 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Leticia
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

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

Leticia wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in San Jose. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Leticia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,064 in Leticia and $2,907 in San Jose 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: $619 in Leticia versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,376 per month in Leticia versus $1,938 in San Jose – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,376 in Leticia versus $1,938 in San Jose, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Leticia but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Leticia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Leticia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,376 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Leticia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Leticia 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 Leticia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.