Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Asti

For one person, living is cheaper in Asti: $1,585 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Asti
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Asti Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Asti

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,938 in San Jose versus $1,585 in Asti.

San Jose $1,938
Asti $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,936 in San Jose versus $2,375 in Asti.

San Jose $2,936
Asti $2,375

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,934 in San Jose versus $3,164 in Asti.

San Jose $3,934
Asti $3,164

Living in San Jose is roughly 22% more expensive than in Asti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 44% above, Asti 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$17.05 €15.16

-27.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$66.1 €58.8

-7.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$11.17 €9.93

2.51%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$1.83 €1.63

139.89%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$3.35 €2.98

-19.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$1.43 €1.27

34.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$6.58 €5.85

-51.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$4.39 €3.91

0.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.72 €1.53

41.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.04 €1.82

49.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$3.25 €2.89

-25.85%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$4.33 €3.86

-21.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$26.95 €23.98

-60.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$14.70 €13.08

-29.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$25.02 €22.26

-44.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$2.07 €1.84

153.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$2.18 €1.94

-27.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$3.05 €2.71

53.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$3.33 €2.96

18.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$2.48 €2.21

58.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$2.08 €1.85

76.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.78 €1.58

-37.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$0.45 €0.40

608.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$6.50 €5.78

-7.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$5.90 €5.25

231.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$2.03 €1.81

38.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$2.22 €1.98

61.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.37 €1.22

-18.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

$27.98 €24.89

138.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$5.60 €4.98

-55.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$2.25 €2.00

-27.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$11.76 €10.46

-27.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.00 €1.78

-22.00%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$26.3K €23.4K

-14.74%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$35.4K €31.5K

0.52%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$173 €154

-45.07%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$10.16 €9.04

250.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$25.71 €22.87

128.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$79.5 €70.7

-8.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

$11.11 €9.88

123.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$9.71 €8.63

-21.94%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$556 €495

80.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$8,747 €7,781

95.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$94.1 €83.7

-25.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$38.30 €34.07

45.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$86.4 €76.9

50.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$133 €119

-2.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$503 €448

84.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$416 €370

86.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$679 €604

189.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$491 €437

162.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$2,390 €2,125

-4.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$1,364 €1,213

34.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

$1,846 €1,642

-44.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.7

132.97%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Asti: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Asti

$416 26.2% 46.3% $359

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Asti

$400 25.2% 0.2% $0.9

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Asti

$253 15.9% 10.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Asti

$209 13.2% 10.5% $20

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Asti

$159 10% 8.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Asti

$99 6.2% 12.6% $11

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Asti

$50 3.2% 38.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $927 in San Jose and $503 in Asti. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Asti pays 82% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in San Jose vs $66.0 in Asti. Groceries flip the comparison at $401 vs $400, with Asti cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇮🇹 Asti

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

07:01 7:01 AM

8 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

71,276

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Asti 9,410 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Asti

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 Asti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Asti is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 22% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 82% lower in Asti. 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: $927 in San Jose versus $503 in Asti. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Asti – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $61.0 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,938 per month in San Jose versus $1,585 in Asti – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,585 in Asti versus $1,938 in San Jose, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Asti but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Asti the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Asti is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in San Jose, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Asti gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.