Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pisco and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Pisco: $658 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Pisco
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Pisco Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Pisco

🇵🇪 Peru

$658

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $658 per month in Pisco vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Pisco $658
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $1,019 per month in Pisco vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Pisco $1,019
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $1,380 per month in Pisco vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Pisco $1,380
San Jose $3,934

Pisco is about 66% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Pisco sits 51% below the global median, while San Jose is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.37 PEN 15.02

$12.38 ₡5,551

-64.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.60 PEN 119

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-43.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.86 PEN 23.56

$11.45 ₡5,135

-40.09%

Cappuccino

$3.18 PEN 10.93

$4.39 ₡1,967

-27.56%

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

$1.06 PEN 3.64

$2.70 ₡1,211

-60.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$1.93 ₡864

-66.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 PEN 9.23

$3.20 ₡1,433

-15.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 PEN 15.38

$4.41 ₡1,979

1.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 PEN 5.64

$2.44 ₡1,093

-32.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 PEN 7.80

$3.05 ₡1,369

-25.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PEN 4.28

$2.41 ₡1,081

-48.13%

Eggs

$1.29 PEN 4.44

$3.40 ₡1,523

-62.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.22 PEN 21.36

$10.75 ₡4,823

-42.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 PEN 16.56

$10.43 ₡4,679

-53.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.40 PEN 21.98

$13.99 ₡6,273

-54.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 PEN 4.54

$5.25 ₡2,353

-74.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 PEN 3.41

$1.59 ₡712

-37.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.66

$4.69 ₡2,103

-71.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 PEN 2.08

$3.95 ₡1,770

-84.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.55

$3.92 ₡1,760

-88.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.14

$3.68 ₡1,651

-75.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 PEN 2.81

$1.12 ₡503

-26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 PEN 3.18

$3.19 ₡1,429

-70.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.72

$6.00 ₡2,692

-4.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 PEN 29.34

$19.56 ₡8,771

-56.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 PEN 6.34

$2.82 ₡1,263

-34.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 PEN 8.34

$3.59 ₡1,611

-32.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 PEN 2.93

$1.12 ₡503

-24.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.08 PEN 120

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-47.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 PEN 13.29

$2.50 ₡1,119

54.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.10

$1.63 ₡733

26.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.43 PEN 25.52

$8.50 ₡3,812

-12.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 PEN 5.64

$1.56 ₡701

5.13%

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

$22.4K PEN 77.0K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

0.09%

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

$25.3K PEN 86.9K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-28.92%

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

$43.24 PEN 149

$95.2 ₡42.7K

-54.59%

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

$16.04 PEN 55.1

$35.58 ₡16.0K

-54.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.49 PEN 39.46

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-80.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.15 PEN 69.2

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-72.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 PEN 30.72

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-64.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 PEN 25.36

$7.58 ₡3,401

-2.64%

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

$176 PEN 604

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-82.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.6K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-22.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 PEN 185

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-23.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.00 PEN 44.65

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-76.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.65 PEN 157

$130 ₡58.2K

-64.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.25 PEN 121

$131 ₡58.7K

-73.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$161 PEN 554

$927 ₡415.8K

-82.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 PEN 443

$774 ₡347.2K

-83.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 PEN 494

$1,288 ₡577.6K

-88.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,834 PEN 6,300

$2,274 ₡1.0M

-19.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,331 PEN 4,572

$1,831 ₡821.0K

-27.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$565 PEN 1,941

$1,016 ₡455.8K

-44.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

8.62

3.71%

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

Last update for Pisco: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pisco

$181 27.5%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 122% $220

Accommodation & Living

Pisco

$129 19.6%

San Jose

$774 40% 501% $645

Eating Out

Pisco

$123 18.7%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 86.5% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pisco

$71 10.8%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 168% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Pisco

$66 10.1%

San Jose

$174 9% 162% $108

Getting Around

Pisco

$53 8%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 55.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Pisco

$35 5.3%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 152% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $161 in Pisco 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.

Salaries run about 80% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Pisco versus $61.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $401 – making Pisco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Pisco

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

08:59 8:59 AM

1 h behind Pisco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,917

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pisco San Jose 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Pisco
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $658 in Pisco, $1,938 in San Jose – roughly 195% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $987 per month in Pisco 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 Pisco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 90% less in Pisco. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $176 per month in Pisco and $1,001 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pisco, where all-in costs run around $658, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Pisco it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $658 in Pisco to $1,938 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Pisco. 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.