Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Aguadulce

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguadulce: $958 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Aguadulce
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Aguadulce Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Aguadulce

🇵🇦 Panama

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Aguadulce actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,938 in San Jose versus $958 in Aguadulce.

San Jose $1,938
Aguadulce $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,936 in San Jose versus $1,531 in Aguadulce.

San Jose $2,936
Aguadulce $1,531

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,934 in San Jose versus $2,104 in Aguadulce.

San Jose $3,934
Aguadulce $2,104

Living in San Jose is roughly 102% more expensive than in Aguadulce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Jose is 44% above, Aguadulce is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$11.33 PAB 11.33

9.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$47.63 PAB 47.63

27.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$7.86 PAB 7.86

45.67%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$4.07 PAB 4.07

7.86%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$1.95 PAB 1.95

38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$1.57 PAB 1.57

22.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$3.27 PAB 3.27

-2.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$3.93 PAB 3.93

12.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.92 PAB 1.92

27.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.56 PAB 2.56

19.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$3.37 PAB 3.37

-28.49%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$2.67 PAB 2.67

27.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$12.25 PAB 12.25

-12.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$6.64 PAB 6.64

57.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$10.34 PAB 10.34

35.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$4.13 PAB 4.13

27.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.86 PAB 1.86

-14.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$4.26 PAB 4.26

10.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$4.14 PAB 4.14

-4.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$3.39 PAB 3.39

15.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-12.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.43 PAB 2.43

-53.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$1.76 PAB 1.76

81.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$6.18 PAB 6.18

-2.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$11.73 PAB 11.73

66.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$1.37 PAB 1.37

105.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$2.85 PAB 2.85

25.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.24 PAB 0.24

366.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.47 PAB 2.47

1.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.86 PAB 1.86

-12.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$22.33 PAB 22.33

-61.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.18 PAB 1.18

32.20%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

5.35%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

67.67%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$132 PAB 132

-27.62%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$28.25 PAB 28.25

25.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$49.31 PAB 49.31

18.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$46.58 PAB 46.58

56.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$8.75 PAB 8.75

-13.37%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$544 PAB 544

84.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$9,457 PAB 9,457

81.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$66.9 PAB 66.9

5.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$48.41 PAB 48.41

15.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$96.3 PAB 96.3

34.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$111 PAB 111

17.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.39

34.90%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Aguadulce: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Aguadulce

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Aguadulce

$325 33.9% 19% $76

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Aguadulce

$201 21% 12.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Aguadulce

$209 21.8% 10.4% $20

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Aguadulce

$145 15.2% 16.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Aguadulce

$64 6.7% 27% $24

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Aguadulce

$13 * 1.3% 84.5% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61.0 in San Jose vs $48.00 in Aguadulce for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $325 per month, with Aguadulce cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇵🇦 Aguadulce

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

09:17 9:17 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

8,501

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Aguadulce 430 km

From you

San Jose
Aguadulce

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 Aguadulce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguadulce wins on cost – living expenses run 102% lower than in San Jose. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Aguadulce the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,907 in San Jose and $1,436 in Aguadulce 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,938 per month in San Jose versus $958 in Aguadulce – a 102% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $958 in Aguadulce versus $1,938 in San Jose, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Aguadulce but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Aguadulce the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Aguadulce delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $958 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Aguadulce hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, San Jose and Aguadulce are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Aguadulce gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.