Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Buenaventura

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenaventura: $1,308 a month against $1,924 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Buenaventura
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Buenaventura Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Buenaventura

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,308

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,924 per month in San Jose vs $1,308 in Buenaventura, rent included.

San Jose $1,924
Buenaventura $1,308

A couple spends around $2,926 per month in San Jose vs $2,012 in Buenaventura, rent included.

San Jose $2,926
Buenaventura $2,012

A family of three spends $3,929 per month in San Jose vs $2,716 in Buenaventura, rent included.

San Jose $3,929
Buenaventura $2,716

San Jose costs about 47% more than Buenaventura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 42% above the global median, while Buenaventura is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,513

$7.61 COP 24.1K

61.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡27.9K

$42.62 COP 135.1K

46.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 ₡5,171

$9.41 COP 29.8K

22.53%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,953

$2.59 COP 8,225

67.95%

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

$2.64 ₡1,183

$1.38 COP 4,370

91.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡836

$0.89 COP 2,835

108.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,490

$3.14 COP 9,959

5.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,026

$3.73 COP 11.8K

21.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$1.43 COP 4,538

67.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,381

$2.41 COP 7,642

27.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$1.63 COP 5,169

53.37%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,562

$2.95 COP 9,353

17.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,815

$7.86 COP 24.9K

36.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,629

$9.62 COP 30.5K

7.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,325

$12.27 COP 38.9K

14.91%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,256

$3.58 COP 11.4K

40.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$1.47 COP 4,665

8.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 ₡2,171

$1.91 COP 6,047

153.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,776

$1.80 COP 5,696

120.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,684

$1.49 COP 4,737

152.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$1.48 COP 4,694

152.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡485

$1.19 COP 3,758

-9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,456

$1.20 COP 3,811

170.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,627

$3.95 COP 12.5K

48.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 ₡9,095

$13.14 COP 41.7K

54.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.41 COP 4,474

105.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ₡1,673

$2.38 COP 7,555

56.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

$1.09 COP 3,450

-0.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$1.60 COP 5,079

56.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

$2.04 COP 6,457

-20.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

$9.02 COP 28.6K

-3.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡709

$1.29 COP 4,080

22.48%

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

$33.6K ₡15.1M

$24.7K COP 78.5M

35.81%

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

$41.7K ₡18.7M

$35.4K COP 112.2M

17.79%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$126 COP 399.9K

-25.75%

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

$35.42 ₡15.9K

$13.14 COP 41.7K

169.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡26.9K

$29.17 COP 92.5K

105.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$38.15 COP 120.9K

90.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,471

$6.50 COP 20.6K

19.08%

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

$1,005 ₡450.9K

$630 COP 2.0M

59.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$7,516 COP 23.8M

125.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 ₡32.8K

$84.9 COP 269.2K

-13.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$54.4 COP 172.5K

1.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$139 COP 440.5K

-7.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.5K

$103 COP 328.1K

26.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ₡418.0K

$653 COP 2.1M

42.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡340.8K

$475 COP 1.5M

60.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

$997 COP 3.2M

92.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

$875 COP 2.8M

45.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.0M

$1,966 COP 6.2M

17.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ₡821.9K

$1,628 COP 5.2M

12.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.58

-25.56%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Last update for Buenaventura: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$760 39.5%

Buenaventura

$475 36.3% 37.5% $285

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 21%

Buenaventura

$273 20.9% 32.2% $130

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.9%

Buenaventura

$153 11.7% 33.4% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Buenaventura

$168 12.9% 10.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9.1%

Buenaventura

$172 13.1% 1.4% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Buenaventura

$51 3.9% 41.9% $37

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.2%

Buenaventura

$16 * 1.2% 79.9% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $932 in San Jose versus $653 in Buenaventura. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in San Jose versus $43.00 in Buenaventura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $273 – making Buenaventura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇴 Buenaventura

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

13:48 1:48 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

365,607

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Buenaventura 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Buenaventura

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 Buenaventura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,924 in San Jose, $1,308 in Buenaventura – roughly 47% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,886 per month in San Jose and $1,962 in Buenaventura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buenaventura, 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 $62.0 in San Jose and $43.00 in Buenaventura. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Buenaventura, where all-in costs run around $1,308, than in San Jose at $1,924. In Buenaventura it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,308 in Buenaventura to $1,924 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Buenaventura. 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.