Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,054 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Cali
Learn more

Cali Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,949 in San Jose versus $1,054 in Cali.

San Jose $1,949
Cali $1,054

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,903 in San Jose versus $1,614 in Cali.

San Jose $2,903
Cali $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,857 in San Jose versus $2,174 in Cali.

San Jose $3,857
Cali $2,174

Living in San Jose is roughly 85% more expensive than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Jose is 45% above, Cali is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$7.26 COP 23.4K

68.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$37.04 COP 119.3K

62.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$8.05 COP 25.9K

46.21%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$1.54 COP 4,972

179.22%

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

$2.72 ₡1,226

$1.25 COP 4,027

117.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$0.84 COP 2,702

119.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$3.16 COP 10.2K

3.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$3.58 COP 11.5K

21.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$1.55 COP 4,998

53.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$1.87 COP 6,026

66.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$1.50 COP 4,822

60.67%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$2.77 COP 8,907

25.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$6.40 COP 20.6K

65.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$6.89 COP 22.2K

53.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$9.92 COP 31.9K

38.61%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$3.43 COP 11.0K

46.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$1.30 COP 4,186

23.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$1.76 COP 5,659

160.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$1.68 COP 5,421

128.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$1.47 COP 4,730

156.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$1.47 COP 4,722

155.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$1.10 COP 3,551

1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

$0.93 COP 3,004

244.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$3.63 COP 11.7K

60.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$12.56 COP 40.5K

57.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$1.42 COP 4,565

93.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$2.40 COP 7,712

52.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.05 COP 3,370

6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

$29.00 COP 93.4K

124.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$0.83 COP 2,664

196.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.25 COP 4,040

24.00%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$33.7K COP 108.5M

3.49%

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

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$111 COP 358.1K

-14.86%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$12.79 COP 41.2K

174.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$29.75 COP 95.8K

96.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$28.38 COP 91.4K

154.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$8.24 COP 26.5K

-4.98%

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

$971 ₡437.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$75.8 COP 243.9K

-5.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$53.8 COP 173.3K

1.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$122 COP 394.4K

5.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$109 COP 350.7K

22.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

$638 COP 2.1M

46.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

$291 COP 937.4K

164.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

$1,498 COP 4.8M

29.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

$479 COP 1.5M

174.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

$567 COP 1.8M

77.46%

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 3, 2026

Last update for Cali: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

Cali

$291 27.6% 62.2% $479

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

Cali

$235 22.3% 41.1% $164

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

Cali

$132 12.5% 42.1% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

Cali

$154 14.6% 18.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

Cali

$162 15.4% 7.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Cali

$45 4.3% 48.9% $43

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

Cali

$34 * 3.2% 57.3% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $934 in San Jose and $638 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Jose pays 77% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $60.0 in San Jose vs $37.00 in Cali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $235 per month, with Cali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

00:24 12:24 AM

01:24 1:24 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

2,568,609

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Cali 1,100 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Cali

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 Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 85% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 77% higher in San Jose, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $934 in San Jose versus $638 in Cali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cali – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $60.0 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Cali runs roughly 125% less than in San Jose. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,054 in Cali versus $1,949 in San Jose, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Cali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cali 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 Cali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.