Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perez Zeledon and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Perez Zeledon: $1,317 a month against $2,105 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,317

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,317 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $2,105 in San Jose, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $1,317
San Jose $2,105

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $3,074 in San Jose, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $2,364
San Jose $3,074

A family of three spends $3,410 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $4,043 in San Jose, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $3,410
San Jose $4,043

Perez Zeledon is about 37% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Perez Zeledon sits 3% below the global median, while San Jose is 55% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.09 ₡4,102

$12.43 ₡5,612

-26.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.24 ₡16.8K

$60.9 ₡27.5K

-38.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.19 ₡3,699

$11.72 ₡5,291

-30.12%

Cappuccino

$2.70 ₡1,217

$4.47 ₡2,020

-39.60%

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

$1.97 ₡887

$2.75 ₡1,242

-28.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₡805

$1.92 ₡867

-7.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 ₡780

$3.26 ₡1,471

-46.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₡1,447

$4.45 ₡2,009

-27.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₡724

$2.36 ₡1,063

-32.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₡1,413

$3.09 ₡1,393

1.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₡1,122

$2.40 ₡1,084

3.75%

Eggs

$2.49 ₡1,126

$3.44 ₡1,554

-27.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,846

$10.73 ₡4,843

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ₡4,639

$10.36 ₡4,676

-0.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.14 ₡6,384

$13.84 ₡6,246

2.17%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 ₡2,365

$5.15 ₡2,324

1.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₡488

$1.65 ₡746

-34.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,206

$4.67 ₡2,110

4.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,737

$3.98 ₡1,799

-3.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,680

$3.90 ₡1,762

-4.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.59 ₡1,622

$3.65 ₡1,648

-1.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₡205

$1.08 ₡488

-58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,394

$3.10 ₡1,399

-0.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 ₡2,516

$6.08 ₡2,746

-8.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.80 ₡8,937

$20.05 ₡9,051

-1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 ₡1,297

$2.77 ₡1,252

3.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,638

$3.69 ₡1,667

-1.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 ₡364

$1.12 ₡503

-27.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,126

$2.49 ₡1,123

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡737

$1.63 ₡736

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₡3,955

$8.47 ₡3,823

3.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡688

$1.57 ₡708

-3.18%

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

$33.8K ₡15.2M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-2.37%

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

$42.1K ₡19.0M

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-0.53%

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

$93.6 ₡42.2K

$93.2 ₡42.1K

0.45%

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

$23.99 ₡10.8K

$36.05 ₡16.3K

-33.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 ₡26.7K

$59.1 ₡26.7K

0.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 ₡30.7K

$69.0 ₡31.2K

-1.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,464

$7.85 ₡3,544

-2.29%

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

$498 ₡224.8K

$996 ₡449.6K

-49.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

1.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 ₡32.4K

$70.1 ₡31.7K

2.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.8K

$55.2 ₡24.9K

-0.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.7K

$130 ₡58.6K

-1.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$131 ₡59.2K

1.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₡181.3K

$1,164 ₡525.5K

-65.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ₡147.1K

$945 ₡426.6K

-65.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 ₡963.0K

$1,993 ₡899.8K

7.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 ₡568.7K

$1,404 ₡633.7K

-10.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ₡921.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ₡456.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Perez Zeledon

$383 29.1%

San Jose

$399 19% 4.2% $16

Accommodation & Living

Perez Zeledon

$326 24.8%

San Jose

$945 44.9% 190% $619

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perez Zeledon

$177 13.4%

San Jose

$188 9% 6.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Perez Zeledon

$174 13.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 0.3% $0.6

Eating Out

Perez Zeledon

$160 12.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 45.4% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Perez Zeledon

$83 6.3%

San Jose

$85 4% 1.7% $1.4

Getting Around

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1.1%

San Jose

$82 3.9% 489% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $402 in Perez Zeledon versus $1,164 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 $37 in Perez Zeledon versus $61 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $399 – making Perez Zeledon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

Same time as Perez Zeledon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,000

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Perez Zeledon San Jose 93 km

From you

Perez Zeledon
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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 San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,975 per month in Perez Zeledon and $3,158 in San Jose. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $1,164 in San Jose.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,317 in Perez Zeledon and $2,105 in San Jose. That makes Perez Zeledon about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $498 per month in Perez Zeledon and $996 in San Jose. 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 $1,317, than in San Jose at $2,105. In Perez Zeledon it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose 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.