Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,938 in San Jose versus $1,775 in Athens.

San Jose $1,938
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,936 in San Jose versus $2,721 in Athens.

San Jose $2,936
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,934 in San Jose versus $3,666 in Athens.

San Jose $3,934
Athens $3,666

Living in San Jose is roughly 9% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 44% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$16.69 €14.84

-25.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$67.8 €60.3

-10.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$11.14 €9.91

2.78%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$4.03 €3.58

8.93%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$2.77 €2.46

-2.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$0.55 €0.49

250.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$5.74 €5.10

-44.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$5.45 €4.85

-19.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.82 €1.62

34.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$1.38 €1.23

121.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$2.80 €2.49

-13.93%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$4.83 €4.30

-29.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$15.05 €13.39

-28.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$10.63 €9.45

-1.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$18.43 €16.39

-24.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$2.20 €1.96

138.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.90 €1.69

-16.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$1.37 €1.22

242.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$2.10 €1.87

88.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$1.08 €0.96

262.96%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$1.12 €1.00

228.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.12 €1.00

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$0.88 €0.79

262.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$5.48 €4.88

9.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$10.13 €9.01

93.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$2.13 €1.89

32.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$2.25 €2.00

59.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.36 €1.21

-17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

$29.89 €26.59

123.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$4.45 €3.96

-43.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.02 €0.90

59.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$16.92 €15.05

-49.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.25 €2.00

-30.67%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$28.0K €24.9K

-20.06%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$28.2K €25.1K

26.04%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$205 €182

-53.46%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$26.65 €23.71

33.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$30.38 €27.02

92.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$54.5 €48.47

33.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

$25.88 €23.02

-3.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$10.42 €9.27

-27.26%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$569 €506

75.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$12.6K €11.2K

36.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$88.7 €78.9

-20.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$40.46 €35.99

37.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$105 €93.3

23.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$121 €108

7.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$741 €659

25.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$655 €582

18.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$1,300 €1,156

51.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$1,148 €1,021

12.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$4,014 €3,570

-43.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$3,460 €3,078

-47.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

$1,242 €1,105

-18.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.48

92.41%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Athens

$655 36.9% 15.5% $120

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Athens

$310 17.5% 22.6% $91

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Athens

$268 15.1% 16.9% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Athens

$262 14.7% 38.1% $72

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Athens

$160 9% 8.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Athens

$75 4.2% 14.2% $13

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Athens

$45 2.5% 45.2% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $927 in San Jose and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 22% 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 $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $401 vs $310, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

16:42 4:42 PM

9 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 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 →

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Between locations

San Jose Athens 10,850 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Athens

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 Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in San Jose. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Athens. 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 $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 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 $1,775 in Athens – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $1,938 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, San Jose and Athens 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.