Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rosarito and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Rosarito: $1,173 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Rosarito
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Rosarito Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Rosarito

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,173

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,173 in Rosarito versus $1,949 in San Jose.

Rosarito $1,173
San Jose $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,900 in Rosarito versus $2,903 in San Jose.

Rosarito $1,900
San Jose $2,903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,628 in Rosarito versus $3,857 in San Jose.

Rosarito $2,628
San Jose $3,857

Living in Rosarito costs roughly 40% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rosarito is 12% below, San Jose is 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.41 MX$228

$12.22 ₡5,510

1.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.87 MX$640

$60.1 ₡27.1K

-42.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 MX$180

$11.77 ₡5,305

-16.57%

Cappuccino

$4.26 MX$78.2

$4.30 ₡1,939

-0.93%

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

$1.37 MX$25.20

$2.72 ₡1,226

-49.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.83

$1.84 ₡830

-32.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 MX$62.7

$3.28 ₡1,480

4.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.57 MX$121

$4.36 ₡1,966

50.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.03

$2.38 ₡1,074

-24.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 MX$55.3

$3.12 ₡1,408

-3.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.27

$2.41 ₡1,086

-26.97%

Eggs

$3.31 MX$60.7

$3.47 ₡1,564

-4.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 MX$153

$10.57 ₡4,767

-21.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.32 MX$134

$10.56 ₡4,758

-30.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.88 MX$218

$13.75 ₡6,196

-13.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MX$52.5

$5.04 ₡2,274

-43.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MX$30.79

$1.61 ₡727

4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 MX$35.02

$4.59 ₡2,069

-58.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.30

$3.84 ₡1,731

-57.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 MX$28.93

$3.77 ₡1,700

-58.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 MX$35.07

$3.76 ₡1,693

-49.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.12 ₡506

31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.73

$3.20 ₡1,441

-66.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.37 MX$80.2

$5.84 ₡2,632

-25.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 MX$151

$19.73 ₡8,897

-58.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 MX$42.15

$2.75 ₡1,240

-16.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 MX$75.5

$3.66 ₡1,650

12.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MX$12.11

$1.12 ₡503

-41.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 MX$55.2

$2.46 ₡1,110

21.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 MX$41.84

$1.54 ₡692

48.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.05 MX$203

$8.46 ₡3,815

30.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$24.12

$1.55 ₡699

-15.48%

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

$21.2K MX$389.6K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

-2.22%

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

$24.4K MX$448.8K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-29.90%

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

$48.34 MX$887

$94.7 ₡42.7K

-48.94%

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

$34.02 MX$625

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-3.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.93 MX$550

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-48.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.33 MX$649

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-51.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 MX$369

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-20.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.88 MX$126

$7.83 ₡3,532

-12.13%

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

$210 MX$3,849

$971 ₡437.9K

-78.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,684 MX$86.0K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-72.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 MX$1,000

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-23.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.77 MX$859

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-14.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,901

$129 ₡58.2K

-19.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 MX$1,277

$133 ₡60.0K

-47.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 MX$11.5K

$934 ₡420.9K

-33.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$396 MX$7,274

$770 ₡347.2K

-48.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 MX$19.0K

$1,945 ₡876.7K

-46.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$776 MX$14.2K

$1,316 ₡593.5K

-41.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,894 MX$34.8K

$2,277 ₡1.0M

-16.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,146 MX$21.0K

$1,795 ₡809.1K

-36.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.07

8.62

40.02%

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

Last update for Rosarito: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rosarito

$396 33.4%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 94.4% $374

Groceries & Markets

Rosarito

$269 22.7%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 48.1% $130

Eating Out

Rosarito

$220 18.6%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 3.4% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Rosarito

$123 10.4%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 41.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rosarito

$112 9.5%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 67.7% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Rosarito

$49 4.1%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 78.9% $39

Getting Around

Rosarito

$17 * 1.4%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 368% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $624 in Rosarito and $934 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Rosarito vs $60.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $399 per month, with Rosarito cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Rosarito

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

1 h ahead of Rosarito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,660

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rosarito San Jose 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rosarito
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

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

Rosarito wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in San Jose. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rosarito the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,759 in Rosarito and $2,924 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: $624 in Rosarito versus $934 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $210 in Rosarito versus $971 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rosarito – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $60.0 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,173 in Rosarito versus $1,949 in San Jose, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rosarito but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Rosarito the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rosarito delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,173 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rosarito hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Rosarito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.