Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perez Zeledon and Jaen

For one person, living is cheaper in Perez Zeledon: $1,328 a month against $1,445 in Jaen, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Jaen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Jaen
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Jaen Living Index

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Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,328

/mo nomad

Jaen

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perez Zeledon and in Jaen

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

A single person spends $1,328 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $1,445 in Jaen, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $1,328
Jaen $1,445

A couple spends around $2,371 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $2,113 in Jaen, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $2,371
Jaen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,414 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $2,780 in Jaen, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $3,414
Jaen $2,780

Perez Zeledon is about 8% cheaper than Jaen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Perez Zeledon sits 2% below the global median, while Jaen is 7% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.34 ₡4,188

$17.05 €15.16

-45.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.62 ₡16.4K

$38.93 €34.63

-5.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.23 ₡3,689

$8.37 €7.44

-1.67%

Cappuccino

$2.70 ₡1,210

$1.65 €1.47

63.64%

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

$1.96 ₡880

$3.26 €2.90

-39.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₡766

$1.14 €1.01

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₡804

$3.41 €3.03

-47.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$3.28 €2.92

-6.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.71 €1.52

-4.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 ₡1,357

$1.79 €1.59

69.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 ₡1,109

$1.37 €1.21

80.29%

Eggs

$2.48 ₡1,113

$4.14 €3.69

-40.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.62 ₡4,763

$8.81 €7.83

20.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,646

$7.07 €6.28

46.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.82 ₡6,196

$10.52 €9.36

31.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 ₡2,238

$2.85 €2.53

75.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₡483

$2.54 €2.26

-57.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.85 ₡2,174

$4.13 €3.67

17.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,777

$3.00 €2.67

32.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,730

$2.46 €2.19

56.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.78 ₡1,693

$3.23 €2.87

17.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ₡205

$1.72 €1.53

-73.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₡1,441

$1.14 €1.01

181.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.76 ₡2,582

$6.58 €5.85

-12.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.78 ₡8,870

$11.40 €10.14

73.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,240

$1.46 €1.30

89.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₡1,572

$3.00 €2.67

16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ₡344

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$4.50 €4.00

-44.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.19 €1.95

-26.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.81 ₡3,952

$13.54 €12.05

-34.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡689

$1.80 €1.60

-14.44%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$35.7K €31.7K

-37.49%

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

$34.8K ₡15.6M

$31.3K €27.9K

11.00%

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

$92.9 ₡41.7K

$165 €146

-43.59%

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

$23.91 ₡10.7K

$6.60 €5.87

262.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.7 ₡26.3K

$16.76 €14.91

250.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.4 ₡32.5K

$33.39 €29.70

116.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ₡3,346

$8.32 €7.40

-10.34%

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

$508 ₡227.7K

$298 €265

70.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$13.4K €11.9K

26.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.9 ₡32.7K

$94.0 €83.6

-22.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 ₡25.5K

$22.55 €20.06

151.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.0K

$144 €128

-10.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.1K

$166 €148

-21.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 ₡180.0K

$554 €493

-27.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ₡149.4K

$495 €441

-32.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 ₡851.1K

$734 €653

158.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 ₡564.0K

$720 €640

74.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,775 €1,579

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,372 €1,221

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.08

111.27%

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

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 20, 2026

Last update for Jaen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Perez Zeledon

$382 28.8%

Jaen

$282 19.5% 26.3% $100

Accommodation & Living

Perez Zeledon

$333 25.1%

Jaen

$495 34.3% 48.6% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perez Zeledon

$176 13.2%

Jaen

$188 13% 7.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Perez Zeledon

$175 13.2%

Jaen

$192 13.3% 9.8% $17

Eating Out

Perez Zeledon

$162 12.2%

Jaen

$222 15.4% 37.7% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Perez Zeledon

$87 6.6%

Jaen

$50 3.5% 42.7% $37

Getting Around

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1%

Jaen

$15 * 1.1% 13.6% $1.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $401 in Perez Zeledon versus $554 in Jaen. 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 $37.00 in Perez Zeledon versus $39.00 in Jaen. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Perez Zeledon vs $282 in Jaen – so Jaen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🇪🇸 Jaen

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

12:51 12:51 PM

8 h ahead of Perez Zeledon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,000

111,888

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Perez Zeledon Jaen 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Perez Zeledon
Jaen

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

Perez Zeledon vs Jaen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jaen costs about 9% more than Perez Zeledon, 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 $1,992 per month in Perez Zeledon and $2,167 in Jaen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,328 in Perez Zeledon and $1,445 in Jaen. That's a gap of about 9%.

Kindergarten costs $508 per month in Perez Zeledon and $298 in Jaen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Perez Zeledon, where all-in costs run around $1,328, than in Jaen at $1,445. In Perez Zeledon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jaen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Perez Zeledon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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