Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marathon and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,266 in Marathon, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Marathon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Marathon
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Marathon Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Marathon

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,266

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,266 per month in Marathon vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Marathon $2,266
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,241 per month in Marathon vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Marathon $3,241
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,216 per month in Marathon vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Marathon $4,216
San Jose $4,054

Marathon costs about 8% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Marathon and San Jose sit above the global median – Marathon by 68%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.53 CA$24.58

$12.37 ₡5,563

41.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 CA$91.1

$62.4 ₡28.0K

4.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.75

$11.71 ₡5,264

-10.08%

Cappuccino

$3.60 CA$5.04

$4.54 ₡2,040

-20.70%

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

$2.01 CA$2.81

$2.75 ₡1,238

-26.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.30

$1.86 ₡837

-11.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 CA$7.04

$3.35 ₡1,505

50.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 CA$7.93

$4.32 ₡1,944

31.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 CA$2.85

$2.36 ₡1,061

-13.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 CA$3.67

$3.07 ₡1,379

-14.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.85

$2.51 ₡1,128

37.85%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.93

$3.53 ₡1,585

-0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 CA$14.03

$10.54 ₡4,738

-5.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.40 CA$15.98

$10.57 ₡4,754

7.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.64 CA$20.53

$13.92 ₡6,261

5.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.45

$5.20 ₡2,338

-25.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 CA$1.90

$1.65 ₡740

-17.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.72 CA$5.22

$4.89 ₡2,198

-23.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.93 CA$5.50

$3.84 ₡1,728

2.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 CA$3.41

$3.91 ₡1,757

-37.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 CA$3.18

$3.76 ₡1,692

-39.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.31

$1.12 ₡504

110.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.25

$3.22 ₡1,447

-50.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.29 CA$20.04

$6.02 ₡2,706

137.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.80 CA$17.95

$19.84 ₡8,919

-35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 CA$3.85

$2.81 ₡1,264

-2.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 CA$4.28

$3.65 ₡1,643

-16.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 CA$3.18

$1.08 ₡487

110.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.9 CA$88.1

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-3.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 CA$4.19

$2.26 ₡1,018

32.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.78 ₡799

-19.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.17 CA$32.48

$7.90 ₡3,551

193.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.50 ₡673

-22.00%

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

$27.6K CA$38.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-17.67%

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

$21.5K CA$30.1K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-49.26%

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

$136 CA$190

$93.2 ₡41.9K

45.77%

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

$39.37 CA$55.2

$36.13 ₡16.2K

8.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.5 CA$76.4

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-10.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.66 CA$52.8

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-45.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 CA$25.76

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-26.30%

Cinema Ticket

$10.71 CA$15.02

$7.67 ₡3,449

39.63%

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

$648 CA$909

$972 ₡436.9K

-33.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K CA$18.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-29.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 CA$78.5

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-20.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.00 CA$54.7

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-31.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 CA$119

$129 ₡57.8K

-34.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$147

$131 ₡58.8K

-19.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 CA$1,832

$1,170 ₡525.9K

11.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 CA$1,609

$943 ₡424.1K

21.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,007 CA$2,813

$1,984 ₡892.0K

1.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,686 CA$2,363

$1,400 ₡629.5K

20.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,395 CA$6,161

$2,681 ₡1.2M

63.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,557 CA$4,987

$2,037 ₡915.8K

74.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,803 CA$2,527

$987 ₡443.6K

82.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

8.62

-45.71%

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

Last update for Marathon: November 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marathon

$1.1K 50.6%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 17.8% $204

Groceries & Markets

Marathon

$353 15.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 13.9% $49

Eating Out

Marathon

$266 11.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 12.6% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marathon

$230 10.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 17.3% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Marathon

$128 5.7%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 36% $46

Getting Around

Marathon

$82 3.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 1.7% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Marathon

$59 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 42.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,307 in Marathon versus $1,170 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 83% higher in Marathon. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Marathon versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $353 in Marathon vs $403 in San Jose – so Marathon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Marathon

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

21:24 9:24 PM

1 h behind Marathon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,300

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Marathon San Jose 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Marathon
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

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

Yes – Marathon is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,399 per month in Marathon and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,307 in Marathon.

Kindergarten costs $648 per month in Marathon and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Marathon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,266 in Marathon and $2,107 in San Jose, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,266 in Marathon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Marathon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.