Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasaje and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasaje: $825 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Pasaje
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Pasaje Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Pasaje

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$825

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $825 per month in Pasaje vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Pasaje $825
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $1,351 per month in Pasaje vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Pasaje $1,351
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $1,877 per month in Pasaje vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Pasaje $1,877
San Jose $3,934

Pasaje is about 57% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Pasaje sits 39% below the global median, while San Jose is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.99 $3.99

$12.38 ₡5,551

-67.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 $52.3

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-14.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 $8.77

$11.45 ₡5,135

-23.41%

Cappuccino

$2.82 $2.82

$4.39 ₡1,967

-35.76%

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

$0.93 $0.93

$2.70 ₡1,211

-65.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.93 ₡864

-61.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.20 ₡1,433

-5.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 $4.23

$4.41 ₡1,979

-4.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.44 ₡1,093

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.05 ₡1,369

-35.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$2.41 ₡1,081

-41.91%

Eggs

$2.10 $2.10

$3.40 ₡1,523

-38.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.87 $6.87

$10.75 ₡4,823

-36.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$10.43 ₡4,679

-50.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 $9.36

$13.99 ₡6,273

-33.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$5.25 ₡2,353

-71.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.59 ₡712

-25.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$4.69 ₡2,103

-78.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$3.95 ₡1,770

-75.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$3.92 ₡1,760

-67.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 $0.91

$3.68 ₡1,651

-75.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.12 ₡503

-25.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 $0.94

$3.19 ₡1,429

-70.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 $6.12

$6.00 ₡2,692

2.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.92 $11.92

$19.56 ₡8,771

-39.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.82 ₡1,263

-47.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.59 ₡1,611

-37.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 $0.38

$1.12 ₡503

-66.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.15 $16.15

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-75.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.50 ₡1,119

-44.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.63 ₡733

5.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.17 $12.17

$8.50 ₡3,812

43.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.56 ₡701

-42.31%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

-5.03%

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

$31.3K $31.3K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-12.00%

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

$40.37 $40.37

$95.2 ₡42.7K

-57.60%

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

$14.73 $14.73

$35.58 ₡16.0K

-58.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.14 $26.14

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-55.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 $29.55

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-59.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.84 $14.84

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-40.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 $7.60

$7.58 ₡3,401

0.26%

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

$374 $374

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-62.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,765 $5,765

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-66.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.1 $66.1

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-6.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.42 $40.42

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-27.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 $124

$130 ₡58.2K

-4.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.9 $91.9

$131 ₡58.7K

-29.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$308 $308

$927 ₡415.8K

-66.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 $204

$774 ₡347.2K

-73.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 $652

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-66.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 $352

$1,288 ₡577.6K

-72.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,184 $1,184

$2,274 ₡1.0M

-47.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$736 $736

$1,831 ₡821.0K

-59.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

8.62

16.59%

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

Last update for Pasaje: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pasaje

$204 24.8%

San Jose

$774 40% 279% $570

Groceries & Markets

Pasaje

$200 24.2%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 101% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Pasaje

$145 17.6%

San Jose

$174 9% 20% $29

Eating Out

Pasaje

$122 14.8%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 87.5% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasaje

$81 9.8%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 133% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Pasaje

$45 5.4%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 96.3% $43

Getting Around

Pasaje

$28 3.4%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 196% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $308 in Pasaje versus $927 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Pasaje versus $61.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $401 – making Pasaje the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Pasaje

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

23:04 11:04 PM

1 h behind Pasaje

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,860

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pasaje San Jose 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Pasaje
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

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

San Jose costs about 135% more than Pasaje, 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 $1,238 per month in Pasaje and $2,907 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Pasaje and $61.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $825 in Pasaje and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 135%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Pasaje, where all-in costs run around $825, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Pasaje it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Pasaje costs $825 versus $1,938 in San Jose. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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