Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samara, Costa Rica and San Ramon

For one person, living is cheaper in San Ramon: $1,729 a month against $2,032 in Samara, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Samara
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Samara Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index

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Samara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,032

/mo nomad

San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Samara and in San Ramon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Samara and in San Ramon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,032 in Samara versus $1,729 in San Ramon.

Samara $2,032
San Ramon $1,729

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,533 in Samara versus $2,722 in San Ramon.

Samara $3,533
San Ramon $2,722

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,034 in Samara versus $3,715 in San Ramon.

Samara $5,034
San Ramon $3,715

Living in Samara is roughly 18% more expensive than in San Ramon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Samara 49% above, San Ramon 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.07 ₡4,997

$12.18 ₡5,500

-9.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.2 ₡28.1K

$61.9 ₡27.9K

0.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.70 ₡5,282

$11.69 ₡5,276

0.09%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,960

$3.82 ₡1,726

13.61%

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

$2.72 ₡1,229

$2.21 ₡996

23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡866

$1.96 ₡884

-2.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,501

$3.01 ₡1,357

10.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 ₡2,036

$4.71 ₡2,126

-4.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 ₡1,095

$2.39 ₡1,077

1.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,376

$3.04 ₡1,371

0.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,129

$2.53 ₡1,141

-1.19%

Eggs

$3.46 ₡1,561

$5.07 ₡2,288

-31.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,868

$10.78 ₡4,869

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ₡4,736

$10.31 ₡4,654

1.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.82 ₡4,885

$14.28 ₡6,446

-24.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 ₡2,263

$4.99 ₡2,253

0.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡745

$1.55 ₡700

6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 ₡2,129

$3.26 ₡1,471

44.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 ₡1,723

$3.42 ₡1,546

11.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$3.19 ₡1,442

16.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,665

$3.22 ₡1,452

14.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.21 ₡547

-10.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,397

$2.74 ₡1,236

12.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 ₡2,516

$5.56 ₡2,511

0.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.86 ₡8,513

$16.31 ₡7,362

15.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 ₡1,255

$2.56 ₡1,154

8.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₡1,119

$2.73 ₡1,234

-9.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ₡630

$1.30 ₡587

7.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 ₡1,118

$2.45 ₡1,108

1.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡709

$1.57 ₡708

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 ₡3,843

$8.87 ₡4,005

-4.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡686

$1.55 ₡700

-1.94%

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

$34.3K ₡15.5M

$34.5K ₡15.6M

-0.52%

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

$41.2K ₡18.6M

$41.3K ₡18.7M

-0.23%

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

$94.0 ₡42.4K

$144 ₡65.2K

-34.93%

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

$35.45 ₡16.0K

$44.11 ₡19.9K

-19.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 ₡26.6K

$53.9 ₡24.3K

9.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 ₡30.2K

$59.0 ₡26.6K

13.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 ₡3,556

$7.81 ₡3,526

0.90%

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

$502 ₡226.4K

$843 ₡380.8K

-40.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,013 ₡2.7M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-64.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.1 ₡30.3K

$70.5 ₡31.8K

-4.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 ₡25.1K

$55.3 ₡24.9K

0.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.4K

$129 ₡58.1K

0.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$125 ₡56.5K

6.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 ₡619.7K

$816 ₡368.5K

68.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$967 ₡436.4K

$626 ₡282.5K

54.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,769 ₡1.7M

$1,903 ₡859.0K

98.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,611 ₡1.2M

$1,249 ₡563.9K

109.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,955 ₡2.2M

$1,145 ₡516.7K

332.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 ₡521.7K

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 Samara: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Ramon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samara

$967 47.6%

San Ramon

$626 36.2% 35.3% $341

Groceries & Markets

Samara

$385 19%

San Ramon

$380 22% 1.3% $4.9

Eating Out

Samara

$220 10.8%

San Ramon

$220 12.7% 0.2% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samara

$188 9.3%

San Ramon

$242 14% 28.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Samara

$173 8.5%

San Ramon

$171 9.9% 1.4% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Samara

$83 4.1%

San Ramon

$75 4.3% 9.6% $8

Getting Around

Samara

$16 * 0.8%

San Ramon

$16 * 0.9% 2.5% $0.4

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 $1,373 in Samara and $816 in San Ramon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Samara vs $62 in San Ramon. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $380, with San Ramon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Samara

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

Same time as Samara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,071

10,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Samara San Ramon 120 km

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Samara
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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

Samara vs San Ramon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,032 in Samara and $1,729 in San Ramon, so San Ramon is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,048 in Samara and $2,593 in San Ramon 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: $1,373 in Samara versus $816 in San Ramon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $502 in Samara versus $843 in San Ramon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,032 per month in Samara versus $1,729 in San Ramon – San Ramon is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though San Ramon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Samara and San Ramon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.