Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quevedo and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Quevedo: $845 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Quevedo
Learn more

Quevedo Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Quevedo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$845

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $845 in Quevedo versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Quevedo $845
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,466 in Quevedo versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Quevedo $1,466
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,086 in Quevedo versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Quevedo $2,086
San Jose $3,934

Living in Quevedo costs roughly 56% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Quevedo is 37% below, San Jose is 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.91 $5.91

$12.38 ₡5,551

-52.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 $54.8

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-9.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.57 $7.57

$11.45 ₡5,135

-33.89%

Cappuccino

$3.36 $3.36

$4.39 ₡1,967

-23.46%

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

$1.42 $1.42

$2.70 ₡1,211

-47.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.93 ₡864

-42.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.20 ₡1,433

10.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 $6.04

$4.41 ₡1,979

36.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.44 ₡1,093

-53.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 $1.61

$3.05 ₡1,369

-47.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.41 ₡1,081

-37.34%

Eggs

$2.17 $2.17

$3.40 ₡1,523

-36.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.60 $6.60

$10.75 ₡4,823

-38.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$10.43 ₡4,679

-45.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.68 $7.68

$13.99 ₡6,273

-45.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$5.25 ₡2,353

-57.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.59 ₡712

-22.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$4.69 ₡2,103

-71.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$3.95 ₡1,770

-72.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$3.92 ₡1,760

-69.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$3.68 ₡1,651

-70.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.12 ₡503

-22.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$3.19 ₡1,429

-68.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.13 $6.13

$6.00 ₡2,692

2.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 $10.13

$19.56 ₡8,771

-48.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.82 ₡1,263

-44.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$3.59 ₡1,611

-13.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.12 ₡503

-70.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.45 $17.45

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-73.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.50 ₡1,119

-39.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.63 ₡733

-8.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.15 $10.15

$8.50 ₡3,812

19.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.56 ₡701

-45.51%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

-5.01%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-21.18%

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

$28.93 $28.93

$95.2 ₡42.7K

-69.62%

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

$17.60 $17.60

$35.58 ₡16.0K

-50.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.80 $28.80

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-50.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.05 $34.05

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-53.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.89 $16.89

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-32.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.44 $6.44

$7.58 ₡3,401

-15.04%

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

$227 $227

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-77.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,815 $8,815

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-48.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 $70.8

$70.5 ₡31.6K

0.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-9.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$130 ₡58.2K

-12.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$131 ₡58.7K

-17.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 $300

$927 ₡415.8K

-67.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 $192

$774 ₡347.2K

-75.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$790 $790

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-59.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$468 $468

$1,288 ₡577.6K

-63.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,113 $1,113

$2,274 ₡1.0M

-51.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$794 $794

$1,831 ₡821.0K

-56.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

8.62

17.40%

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

Last update for Quevedo: October 10, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Quevedo

$199 23.5%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 102% $202

Accommodation & Living

Quevedo

$192 22.7%

San Jose

$774 40% 303% $582

Clothing & Footwear

Quevedo

$154 18.3%

San Jose

$174 9% 12.7% $20

Eating Out

Quevedo

$150 17.8%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 52.7% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quevedo

$75 8.9%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 152% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Quevedo

$47 5.6%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 87.2% $41

Getting Around

Quevedo

$28 3.3%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 196% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $300 in Quevedo and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Quevedo vs $61.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $401 per month, with Quevedo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quevedo

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:43 5:43 PM

16:43 4:43 PM

1 h behind Quevedo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,000

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quevedo San Jose 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Quevedo
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

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

Quevedo and San Jose differ by about 129% in total monthly costs ($845 vs $1,938 including rent). Quevedo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,268 in Quevedo and $2,907 in San Jose to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $300 in Quevedo versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Quevedo runs roughly 283% less than in San Jose. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $227 in Quevedo versus $1,001 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $845 in Quevedo versus $1,938 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Quevedo but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Quevedo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Quevedo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 129% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.