Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port-au-Prince and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Port-au-Prince: $1,305 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Port-au-Prince

🇭🇹 Haiti

$1,305

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,305 per month in Port-au-Prince vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Port-au-Prince $1,305
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $2,040 per month in Port-au-Prince vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Port-au-Prince $2,040
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $2,775 per month in Port-au-Prince vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Port-au-Prince $2,775
San Jose $4,054

Port-au-Prince is about 38% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Port-au-Prince sits 3% below the global median, while San Jose is 56% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

Milk (1 liter)

$3.00 HTG 391

$2.36 ₡1,061

27.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 HTG 344

$3.07 ₡1,379

-14.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 HTG 294

$2.51 ₡1,128

-10.36%

Eggs

$5.65 HTG 738

$3.53 ₡1,585

60.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.18 HTG 807

$10.54 ₡4,738

-41.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.97 HTG 780

$10.57 ₡4,754

-43.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 HTG 1,315

$13.92 ₡6,261

-27.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.53 HTG 592

$5.20 ₡2,338

-12.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 HTG 201

$1.65 ₡740

-6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 HTG 162

$4.89 ₡2,198

-74.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 HTG 319

$3.84 ₡1,728

-36.46%

Potato (1kg)

$5.41 HTG 706

$3.91 ₡1,757

38.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 HTG 277

$3.76 ₡1,692

-43.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 HTG 192

$1.12 ₡504

31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 HTG 181

$3.22 ₡1,447

-56.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.56 HTG 204

$6.02 ₡2,706

-74.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 HTG 2,011

$19.84 ₡8,919

-22.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 HTG 211

$2.81 ₡1,264

-42.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 HTG 308

$3.65 ₡1,643

-35.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 HTG 26.99

$1.08 ₡487

-80.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.01 HTG 2,613

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-69.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 HTG 47.80

$2.26 ₡1,018

-83.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 HTG 54.5

$1.78 ₡799

-76.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.86 HTG 2,593

$7.90 ₡3,551

151.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 HTG 150

$1.50 ₡673

-23.33%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

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

$50.7 HTG 6,620

$36.13 ₡16.2K

40.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 HTG 1,331

$7.67 ₡3,449

32.86%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.6 HTG 9,609

$56.7 ₡25.5K

29.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 HTG 118.4K

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-22.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 HTG 114.3K

$943 ₡424.1K

-7.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 HTG 273.6K

$1,984 ₡892.0K

5.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,816 HTG 237.1K

$1,400 ₡629.5K

29.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,671 HTG 218.1K

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-37.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,491 HTG 194.7K

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-26.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

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 Port-au-Prince: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port-au-Prince

–

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Groceries & Markets

Port-au-Prince

–

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Eating Out

Port-au-Prince

–

San Jose

$232 11%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port-au-Prince

–

San Jose

$190 9%

Clothing & Footwear

Port-au-Prince

–

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Port-au-Prince

–

San Jose

$84 4%

Getting Around

Port-au-Prince

–

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $907 in Port-au-Prince versus $1,170 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.

Good to know

🇭🇹 Port-au-Prince

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

11:08 11:08 AM

1 h behind Port-au-Prince

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,275,000 Capital

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Haitian Gourde HTG G

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HTG = 7.66 USD

1,000 HTG = 6.82 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to HTG – Haitian Gourde Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇹 Haitian Gourde (G)

Haitian Gourde exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 131 HTG (1,000 HTG = 7.66 USD). 1 EUR = 147 HTG (1,000 HTG = 6.82 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to HTG in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Port-au-Prince San Jose 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Port-au-Prince
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

Port-au-Prince vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,305 in Port-au-Prince, $2,107 in San Jose – Port-au-Prince comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,957 per month in Port-au-Prince and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Port-au-Prince, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $907 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

Public transport costs about 69% less in Port-au-Prince. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,305 in Port-au-Prince and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes Port-au-Prince about 38% cheaper.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Port-au-Prince, where all-in costs run around $1,305, than in San Jose at $2,107. In Port-au-Prince 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 $1,305 in Port-au-Prince to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.