Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $719 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,949 per month in San Jose vs $719 in Arequipa, rent included.

San Jose $1,949
Arequipa $719

A couple spends around $2,903 per month in San Jose vs $1,114 in Arequipa, rent included.

San Jose $2,903
Arequipa $1,114

A family of three spends $3,857 per month in San Jose vs $1,510 in Arequipa, rent included.

San Jose $3,857
Arequipa $1,510

San Jose costs about 171% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 45% above the global median, while Arequipa is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$3.41 PEN 11.69

258.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$27.27 PEN 93.5

120.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$5.68 PEN 19.46

107.22%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$2.47 PEN 8.45

74.09%

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

$2.72 ₡1,226

$0.82 PEN 2.82

231.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$0.38 PEN 1.31

384.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$2.07 PEN 7.10

58.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$4.40 PEN 15.08

-0.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$1.33 PEN 4.57

78.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$1.36 PEN 4.68

129.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$1.52 PEN 5.20

58.55%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$2.25 PEN 7.73

54.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$6.39 PEN 21.89

65.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$4.37 PEN 14.98

141.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$7.48 PEN 25.65

83.82%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$1.77 PEN 6.07

184.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$1.22 PEN 4.19

31.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$1.13 PEN 3.89

306.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$1.03 PEN 3.52

272.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$0.64 PEN 2.19

489.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$0.67 PEN 2.30

461.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$0.54 PEN 1.86

107.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

$0.76 PEN 2.60

321.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$5.18 PEN 17.76

12.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$5.04 PEN 17.26

291.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$2.72 PEN 9.34

1.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$2.20 PEN 7.55

66.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.28 PEN 0.95

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$2.01 PEN 6.88

22.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

$1.97 PEN 6.76

-21.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

$13.00 PEN 44.55

-34.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.53 PEN 5.26

1.31%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$19.2K PEN 65.7K

13.20%

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$25.0K PEN 85.8K

39.28%

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

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$24.05 PEN 82.5

293.68%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$10.15 PEN 34.80

245.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$23.01 PEN 78.9

154.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$25.05 PEN 85.9

188.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

$8.13 PEN 27.88

209.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$7.41 PEN 25.39

5.67%

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

$971 ₡437.9K

$74.8 PEN 256

1199.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$6,596 PEN 22.6K

157.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$48.85 PEN 167

46.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$26.46 PEN 90.7

107.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$68.0 PEN 233

89.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$57.3 PEN 196

132.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

$354 PEN 1,213

163.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

$236 PEN 809

226.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

$714 PEN 2,449

172.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

$418 PEN 1,431

215.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

$1,991 PEN 6,824

14.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

$974 PEN 3,340

84.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

$617 PEN 2,115

63.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-42.53%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

Arequipa

$236 33.3% 69.4% $534

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

Arequipa

$174 24.6% 56.4% $225

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

Arequipa

$98 13.8% 57.1% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 69.6% $131

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

Arequipa

$90 12.7% 48.4% $85

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Arequipa

$40 5.6% 54.6% $48

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.8% 83.7% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $934 in San Jose versus $354 in Arequipa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 63% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in San Jose versus $27.00 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $174 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

08:12 8:12 AM

09:12 9:12 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

17,062

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Arequipa 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Arequipa

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 Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose costs about 171% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,924 per month in San Jose and $1,078 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arequipa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in San Jose and $27.00 in Arequipa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 129% more in San Jose, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arequipa, where all-in costs run around $719, than in San Jose at $1,949. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arequipa costs $719 versus $1,949 in San Jose. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Arequipa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.