Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and San Juan, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $1,723 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $38,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in San Juan

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

A single person spends $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $1,723 in San Juan, rent included.

New York, NY $4,906
San Juan $1,723

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $2,746 in San Juan, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
San Juan $2,746

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $3,770 in San Juan, rent included.

New York, NY $9,641
San Juan $3,770

New York, NY costs about 185% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both New York, NY and San Juan sit above the global median – New York, NY by 263%, San Juan by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$12.46 ₡5,584

116.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$60.8 ₡27.3K

91.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$11.85 ₡5,314

23.21%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$4.35 ₡1,950

50.34%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$2.75 ₡1,234

40.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.90 ₡853

55.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$3.34 ₡1,498

141.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.52 ₡2,028

117.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.33 ₡1,044

-43.78%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.11 ₡1,395

59.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$2.44 ₡1,092

215.57%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$3.48 ₡1,560

75.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$10.66 ₡4,778

83.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$10.52 ₡4,716

67.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$13.99 ₡6,271

44.82%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$5.03 ₡2,257

38.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.59 ₡713

38.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$4.78 ₡2,142

40.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.81 ₡1,708

86.88%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.89 ₡1,743

18.51%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.76 ₡1,684

27.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.12 ₡503

156.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.10 ₡1,388

-13.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$5.86 ₡2,626

226.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$19.61 ₡8,792

0.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.86 ₡1,283

16.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.59 ₡1,608

16.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.35 ₡603

123.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.42 ₡1,084

25.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.56 ₡697

41.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$8.62 ₡3,865

379.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.58 ₡709

-28.48%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$34.4K ₡15.4M

0.15%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$41.3K ₡18.5M

-37.42%

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

$232 $232

$95.5 ₡42.8K

143.20%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$35.02 ₡15.7K

102.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$60.1 ₡26.9K

12.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$67.0 ₡30.1K

72.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$7.71 ₡3,458

190.66%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$980 ₡439.2K

267.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

299.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$72.1 ₡32.3K

9.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$56.2 ₡25.2K

-8.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$129 ₡58.0K

-6.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$134 ₡59.9K

5.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$798 ₡357.7K

470.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$627 ₡281.2K

384.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$1,922 ₡861.4K

406.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$1,287 ₡576.9K

314.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

8.62

-20.07%

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

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Juan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

San Juan

$627 36.4% 79.4% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

San Juan

$399 23.2% 29.7% $168

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

San Juan

$232 13.5% 45.5% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

San Juan

$191 11.1% 48.6% $180

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

San Juan

$176 10.2% 0.2% $0.4

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

San Juan

$16 * 0.9% 90.6% $150

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

San Juan

$82 4.8% 48.5% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,555 in New York, NY versus $798 in San Juan. 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 $117 in New York, NY versus $61 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $399 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

20:22 8:22 PM

19:22 7:22 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

27,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

New York, NY San Juan 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
San Juan

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

New York, NY vs San Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 185% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,358 per month in New York, NY and $2,584 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $798 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,906 in New York, NY and $1,723 in San Juan. That makes San Juan about 65% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $3,606 per month in New York, NY and $980 in San Juan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan, where all-in costs run around $1,723, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In San Juan it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Juan costs $1,723 versus $4,906 in New York, NY. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.