Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nassau and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $4,351 in Nassau, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

209

Cost of Living Index in Nassau
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Nassau Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Nassau

🇧🇸 Bahamas

$4,351

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,351 in Nassau versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Nassau $4,351
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,921 in Nassau versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Nassau $6,921
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,492 in Nassau versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Nassau $9,492
San Jose $4,054

Living in Nassau is roughly 106% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nassau 222% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$38.07 BSD 38.07

$12.37 ₡5,563

207.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$203 BSD 203

$62.4 ₡28.0K

224.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 BSD 11.87

$11.71 ₡5,264

1.37%

Cappuccino

$5.66 BSD 5.66

$4.54 ₡2,040

24.67%

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

$3.40 BSD 3.40

$2.75 ₡1,238

23.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 BSD 1.99

$1.86 ₡837

6.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.96 BSD 4.96

$3.35 ₡1,505

48.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.23 BSD 9.23

$4.32 ₡1,944

113.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.90 BSD 3.90

$2.36 ₡1,061

65.25%

White Bread (500g)

$5.57 BSD 5.57

$3.07 ₡1,379

81.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.98 BSD 6.98

$2.51 ₡1,128

178.09%

Eggs

$7.76 BSD 7.76

$3.53 ₡1,585

119.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.02 BSD 11.02

$10.54 ₡4,738

4.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$21.72 BSD 21.72

$10.57 ₡4,754

105.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.58 BSD 26.58

$13.92 ₡6,261

90.95%

Apples (1kg)

$6.57 BSD 6.57

$5.20 ₡2,338

26.35%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 BSD 3.53

$1.65 ₡740

113.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 BSD 4.75

$4.89 ₡2,198

-2.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$10.79 BSD 10.79

$3.84 ₡1,728

180.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 BSD 3.40

$3.91 ₡1,757

-13.04%

Onion (1kg)

$5.18 BSD 5.18

$3.76 ₡1,692

37.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.62 BSD 5.62

$1.12 ₡504

401.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 BSD 3.25

$3.22 ₡1,447

0.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.26 BSD 15.26

$6.02 ₡2,706

153.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$33.49 BSD 33.49

$19.84 ₡8,919

68.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.63 BSD 5.63

$2.81 ₡1,264

100.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 BSD 5.10

$3.65 ₡1,643

39.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 BSD 2.44

$1.08 ₡487

125.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$151 BSD 151

$65.2 ₡29.3K

131.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.97 BSD 7.97

$2.26 ₡1,018

252.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.03 BSD 3.03

$1.78 ₡799

70.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.0 BSD 50.0

$7.90 ₡3,551

533.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 BSD 1.53

$1.50 ₡673

2.00%

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

$30.1K BSD 30.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-10.06%

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

$44.7K BSD 44.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

5.75%

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

$406 BSD 406

$93.2 ₡41.9K

335.77%

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

$71.6 BSD 71.6

$36.13 ₡16.2K

98.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$114 BSD 114

$60.6 ₡27.2K

88.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$198 BSD 198

$68.9 ₡31.0K

187.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.88 BSD 43.88

$24.94 ₡11.2K

75.94%

Cinema Ticket

$20.39 BSD 20.39

$7.67 ₡3,449

165.84%

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

$891 BSD 891

$972 ₡436.9K

-8.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K BSD 23.8K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

25.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.32 BSD 48.32

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-31.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$122 BSD 122

$56.7 ₡25.5K

115.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 BSD 110

$129 ₡57.8K

-14.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 BSD 124

$131 ₡58.8K

-4.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,957 BSD 1,957

$1,170 ₡525.9K

67.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,992 BSD 1,992

$943 ₡424.1K

111.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,660 BSD 4,660

$1,984 ₡892.0K

134.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,971 BSD 3,971

$1,400 ₡629.5K

183.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,232 BSD 6,232

$2,681 ₡1.2M

132.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,470 BSD 3,470

$2,037 ₡915.8K

70.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,300 BSD 3,300

$987 ₡443.6K

234.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

16.01%

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

Last update for Nassau: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nassau

$2K 45.8%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 52.7% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Nassau

$689 15.8%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 41.6% $287

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nassau

$592 13.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 67.9% $402

Eating Out

Nassau

$473 10.9%

San Jose

$232 11% 50.9% $241

Sport & Entertainment

Nassau

$239 5.5%

San Jose

$84 4% 64.7% $155

Getting Around

Nassau

$184 4.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 56.1% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Nassau

$182 4.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 4.4% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,957 in Nassau and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nassau pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $203 in Nassau vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $689 vs $403 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇸 Nassau

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

06:25 6:25 AM

1 h behind Nassau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

259,300 Capital

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Bahamian Dollar BSD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BSD = 1 USD

1 BSD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BSD – Bahamian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇸 Bahamian Dollar ($)

Bahamian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1 BSD (1 BSD = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 BSD (1 BSD = 0.89 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 BSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nassau San Jose 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nassau
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

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

San Jose is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Nassau is about 3.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,957 in Nassau versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $4,351 per month in Nassau versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 57% less than in Nassau. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $4,351 in Nassau, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Nassau. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Nassau. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.