Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Acosta

For one person, living is cheaper in Acosta: $1,672 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
Learn more

Acosta Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,672

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Acosta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $1,672 in Acosta.

San Jose $2,107
Acosta $1,672

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $2,657 in Acosta.

San Jose $3,081
Acosta $2,657

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $3,642 in Acosta.

San Jose $4,054
Acosta $3,642

Living in San Jose is roughly 26% more expensive than in Acosta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, Acosta 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,564

$11.97 ₡5,382

3.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.1K

$58.9 ₡26.5K

5.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,265

$11.77 ₡5,292

-0.51%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$4.30 ₡1,936

5.58%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.54 ₡1,142

8.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.91 ₡860

-2.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,506

$3.37 ₡1,515

-0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,945

$4.47 ₡2,009

-3.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$2.44 ₡1,096

-3.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.71 ₡1,220

13.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$2.44 ₡1,099

2.87%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.60 ₡1,617

-1.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,739

$10.74 ₡4,828

-1.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,755

$10.22 ₡4,597

3.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,262

$13.95 ₡6,275

-0.22%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$5.16 ₡2,320

0.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡741

$1.57 ₡708

5.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.33 ₡1,497

46.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.45 ₡1,553

11.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$3.02 ₡1,358

29.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$3.23 ₡1,452

16.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡505

$1.03 ₡463

8.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$2.60 ₡1,171

23.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,707

$5.75 ₡2,586

4.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,920

$16.66 ₡7,493

19.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,265

$2.61 ₡1,172

7.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,644

$2.64 ₡1,188

38.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.33 ₡599

-18.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$2.51 ₡1,128

-9.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.56 ₡703

14.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,552

$8.49 ₡3,817

-6.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.53 ₡687

-1.96%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$34.1K ₡15.3M

-1.82%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$41.1K ₡18.5M

3.00%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$95.2 ₡42.8K

-2.14%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$30.00 ₡13.5K

20.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$58.8 ₡26.4K

3.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$67.5 ₡30.4K

2.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,450

$7.59 ₡3,415

1.05%

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

$972 ₡437.0K

$837 ₡376.3K

16.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$17.4K ₡7.8M

8.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$71.3 ₡32.1K

-1.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$56.6 ₡25.5K

0.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$128 ₡57.7K

0.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$131 ₡59.1K

-0.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$793 ₡356.4K

47.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.2K

$620 ₡278.7K

52.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.1K

$1,924 ₡865.4K

3.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.6K

$1,256 ₡564.6K

11.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$1,921 ₡863.7K

39.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.7K

$1,506 ₡677.3K

-34.49%

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 Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Acosta: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Acosta

$620 37.1% 34.3% $323

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Acosta

$369 22.1% 8.3% $33

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Acosta

$226 13.5% 2.6% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Acosta

$184 11% 3.1% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Acosta

$174 10.4% 0.2% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Acosta

$83 4.9% 1.9% $1.6

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Acosta

$16 * 0.9% 80.6% $65

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 $1,170 in San Jose and $793 in Acosta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acosta pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $59 in Acosta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $369 per month, with Acosta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇷 Acosta

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

Same time as San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

3,072

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Acosta 17 km

From you

San Jose
Acosta

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 Jose vs Acosta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,107 in San Jose and $1,672 in Acosta, so Acosta is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in San Jose. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,170 in San Jose versus $793 in Acosta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,107 per month in San Jose versus $1,672 in Acosta – Acosta is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Acosta 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.