Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Peru and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Peru: $849 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Peru
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Peru Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

🇵🇪 Peru

$849

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Peru is 50% cheaper than San Jose without rent, and 56.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Peru is 49.9% cheaper than San Jose without rent, and 52.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.41 PEN 11.69

$12.22 ₡5,510

-72.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.41 PEN 101

$60.1 ₡27.1K

-51.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.29 PEN 21.55

$11.77 ₡5,305

-46.56%

Cappuccino

$3.10 PEN 10.63

$4.30 ₡1,939

-27.91%

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

$0.92 PEN 3.17

$2.72 ₡1,226

-66.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 PEN 1.70

$1.84 ₡830

-73.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 PEN 7.89

$3.28 ₡1,480

-29.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 PEN 11.71

$4.36 ₡1,966

-21.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 PEN 5.18

$2.38 ₡1,074

-36.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 PEN 7.86

$3.12 ₡1,408

-26.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 PEN 4.53

$2.41 ₡1,086

-45.23%

Eggs

$2.72 PEN 9.31

$3.47 ₡1,564

-21.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 PEN 27.11

$10.57 ₡4,767

-25.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.66 PEN 19.41

$10.56 ₡4,758

-46.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 PEN 30.98

$13.75 ₡6,196

-34.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 PEN 6.27

$5.04 ₡2,274

-63.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 PEN 3.59

$1.61 ₡727

-34.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 PEN 4.18

$4.59 ₡2,069

-73.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 PEN 4.18

$3.84 ₡1,731

-68.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 PEN 3.08

$3.77 ₡1,700

-76.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.91

$3.76 ₡1,693

-77.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 PEN 2.80

$1.12 ₡506

-26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 PEN 2.91

$3.20 ₡1,441

-73.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.65 PEN 19.37

$5.84 ₡2,632

-3.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 PEN 26.83

$19.73 ₡8,897

-60.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 PEN 6.87

$2.75 ₡1,240

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 PEN 9.92

$3.66 ₡1,650

-21.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 PEN 2.06

$1.12 ₡503

-46.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.75 PEN 91.7

$65.1 ₡29.4K

-58.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 PEN 7.89

$2.46 ₡1,110

-6.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 PEN 6.85

$1.54 ₡692

29.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.96 PEN 23.84

$8.46 ₡3,815

-17.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.42

$1.55 ₡699

1.94%

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

$22.0K PEN 75.5K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

1.51%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.3K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-26.96%

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

$55.7 PEN 191

$94.7 ₡42.7K

-41.14%

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

$13.43 PEN 46.04

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-61.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 PEN 89.9

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-55.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.20 PEN 107

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-56.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.50 PEN 56.6

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-34.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 PEN 20.10

$7.83 ₡3,532

-25.16%

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

$161 PEN 552

$971 ₡437.9K

-83.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K PEN 37.2K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-36.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.19 PEN 169

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-31.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.54 PEN 108

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-42.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.0 PEN 250

$129 ₡58.2K

-43.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 PEN 247

$133 ₡60.0K

-45.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$472 PEN 1,620

$934 ₡420.9K

-49.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 PEN 838

$770 ₡347.2K

-68.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 PEN 2,848

$1,945 ₡876.7K

-57.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 PEN 1,630

$1,316 ₡593.5K

-63.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,209 PEN 7,573

$2,277 ₡1.0M

-2.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,231 PEN 4,220

$1,795 ₡809.1K

-31.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$550 PEN 1,884

$1,006 ₡453.5K

-45.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.73

8.62

12.88%

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

Last update for Peru: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Peru

$244 29%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 215% $526

Groceries & Markets

Peru

$209 24.8%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 90.8% $190

Eating Out

Peru

$107 12.8%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 112% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Peru

$102 12.1%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 72.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Peru

$95 11.3%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 97.5% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Peru

$43 5.1%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 105% $45

Getting Around

Peru

$41 4.9%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 92.4% $38

Good to know

🇵🇪 Peru

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

01:24 1:24 AM

1 h behind Peru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,726,000

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Peru San Jose 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Peru
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

Peru vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Peru and San Jose

CRC, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Peru

San Jose

Peru

San Jose

Peru vs other spots: cost of living compared

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