Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in San Isidro: $1,676 a month against $1,739 in San Ramon, rent and utilities included – about $760 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in San Isidro
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San Isidro Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index

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San Isidro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,676 in San Isidro versus $1,739 in San Ramon.

San Isidro $1,676
San Ramon $1,739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,650 in San Isidro versus $2,736 in San Ramon.

San Isidro $2,650
San Ramon $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,623 in San Isidro versus $3,733 in San Ramon.

San Isidro $3,623
San Ramon $3,733

Living in San Isidro costs roughly 4% less than in San Ramon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Isidro 24% above, San Ramon 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.90 ₡5,353

$12.12 ₡5,450

-1.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 ₡25.9K

$57.5 ₡25.8K

0.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.51 ₡5,177

$11.65 ₡5,240

-1.20%

Cappuccino

$4.22 ₡1,897

$4.11 ₡1,850

2.68%

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

$2.50 ₡1,123

$2.65 ₡1,191

-5.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.84 ₡829

1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,504

$3.22 ₡1,450

3.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₡1,972

$4.47 ₡2,011

-2.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₡1,050

$2.39 ₡1,076

-2.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,356

$2.94 ₡1,321

2.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,122

$2.53 ₡1,138

-1.19%

Eggs

$3.43 ₡1,543

$5.03 ₡2,261

-31.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.72 ₡4,822

$10.90 ₡4,901

-1.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 ₡4,795

$10.51 ₡4,724

1.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.17 ₡6,374

$13.89 ₡6,248

2.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 ₡2,229

$4.97 ₡2,236

-0.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 ₡750

$1.56 ₡703

7.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$3.39 ₡1,526

-3.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 ₡1,584

$3.40 ₡1,528

3.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 ₡1,284

$3.14 ₡1,413

-8.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 ₡1,419

$3.22 ₡1,450

-1.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₡463

$1.24 ₡560

-16.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,192

$2.66 ₡1,197

-0.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 ₡2,531

$5.83 ₡2,623

-3.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.48 ₡7,412

$16.18 ₡7,276

1.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,185

$2.61 ₡1,173

1.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ₡1,220

$2.75 ₡1,237

-1.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡583

$1.30 ₡585

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 ₡997

$2.50 ₡1,123

-11.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 ₡822

$1.55 ₡696

18.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.65 ₡3,891

$8.76 ₡3,938

-1.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.50 ₡673

1.33%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$33.9K ₡15.2M

2.30%

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

$40.6K ₡18.3M

$41.2K ₡18.5M

-1.43%

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

$93.6 ₡42.1K

$145 ₡65.2K

-35.47%

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

$30.02 ₡13.5K

$43.72 ₡19.7K

-31.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.9 ₡26.9K

$53.0 ₡23.8K

13.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.6 ₡30.0K

$68.4 ₡30.8K

-2.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.97 ₡3,584

$7.91 ₡3,559

0.76%

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

$857 ₡385.5K

$850 ₡382.3K

0.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ₡7.2M

$17.4K ₡7.8M

-8.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 ₡31.1K

$70.8 ₡31.8K

-2.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.22 ₡21.7K

$55.7 ₡25.0K

-13.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.2K

$128 ₡57.6K

-0.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 ₡62.2K

$129 ₡58.2K

6.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$809 ₡364.0K

$804 ₡361.7K

0.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₡280.7K

$621 ₡279.4K

0.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 ₡858.1K

$1,930 ₡868.1K

-1.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 ₡559.9K

$1,261 ₡567.3K

-1.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,159 ₡521.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 ₡523.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 ₡495.2K

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 San Isidro: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Ramon: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Isidro

$624 37.3%

San Ramon

$621 35.7% 0.5% $2.8

Groceries & Markets

San Isidro

$373 22.3%

San Ramon

$379 21.8% 1.6% $5.9

Eating Out

San Isidro

$223 13.3%

San Ramon

$224 12.9% 0.4% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Isidro

$184 11%

San Ramon

$242 13.9% 31.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

San Isidro

$172 10.3%

San Ramon

$173 9.9% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

San Isidro

$83 4.9%

San Ramon

$84 4.8% 2% $1.6

Getting Around

San Isidro

$17 * 1%

San Ramon

$15 * 0.9% 6.7% $1.1

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 $809 in San Isidro and $804 in San Ramon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58 in San Isidro vs $57 in San Ramon. Groceries flip the comparison at $373 vs $379, with San Isidro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Isidro

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

Same time as San Isidro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,000

10,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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San Isidro San Ramon 52 km

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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

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

San Isidro wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in San Ramon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Isidro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,513 in San Isidro and $2,608 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: $809 in San Isidro versus $804 in San Ramon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $857 in San Isidro versus $850 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 $1,676 per month in San Isidro versus $1,739 in San Ramon – San Isidro is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though San Isidro gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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