Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Cartago Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Cartago

🙂 Solo nomad: San Jose is 3.6% cheaper than Cartago without rent, and 3.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: San Jose is 3.2% more expensive than Cartago without rent, and 23.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.77 ₡5,338

$7.91 ₡3,921

36.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 ₡30.1K

$31.97 ₡15.9K

89.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.00 ₡4,960

$8.83 ₡4,380

13.25%

Cappuccino

$3.74 ₡1,854

$3.92 ₡1,944

-4.59%

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

$2.07 ₡1,025

$2.03 ₡1,007

1.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₡784

$1.24 ₡617

27.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 ₡1,507

$2.02 ₡1,000

50.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ₡2,344

$4.57 ₡2,268

3.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ₡1,019

$2.04 ₡1,012

0.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 ₡1,363

$2.23 ₡1,104

23.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 ₡1,061

$2.18 ₡1,079

-1.83%

Eggs

$2.99 ₡1,482

$2.94 ₡1,459

1.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ₡5,048

$8.01 ₡3,973

27.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 ₡4,486

$9.36 ₡4,642

-3.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 ₡6,676

$13.59 ₡6,737

-0.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.53 ₡2,246

$4.46 ₡2,213

1.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 ₡728

$1.17 ₡580

25.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 ₡2,104

$3.93 ₡1,948

7.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 ₡1,727

$2.72 ₡1,349

27.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,696

$2.01 ₡998

70.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 ₡1,618

$2.00 ₡994

63.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡501

$0.95 ₡473

6.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 ₡1,422

$1.95 ₡966

47.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.21 ₡2,584

$5.22 ₡2,586

-0.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.77 ₡8,810

$14.03 ₡6,957

26.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₡1,190

$2.44 ₡1,207

-1.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ₡1,455

$1.84 ₡911

59.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ₡484

$1.02 ₡506

-3.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.19 ₡20.9K

$69.9 ₡34.6K

-39.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.80 ₡894

$1.42 ₡702

26.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡885

$1.79 ₡887

-0.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 ₡3,888

$7.99 ₡3,963

-1.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₡716

$1.42 ₡703

1.41%

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

$38.2K ₡19.0M

$38.3K ₡19.0M

-0.22%

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

$32.0K ₡15.9M

$32.1K ₡15.9M

-0.19%

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

$95.1 ₡47.2K

$48.20 ₡23.9K

97.32%

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

$25.89 ₡12.8K

$25.57 ₡12.7K

1.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 ₡29.7K

$56.3 ₡27.9K

6.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₡28.6K

$56.1 ₡27.8K

2.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.17 ₡18.9K

$23.95 ₡11.9K

59.37%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 ₡5,067

$6.59 ₡3,269

55.08%

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

$579 ₡287.1K

$496 ₡245.9K

16.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K ₡6.2M

$7,196 ₡3.6M

73.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 ₡30.8K

$61.8 ₡30.6K

0.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 ₡25.5K

$51.4 ₡25.5K

0.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 ₡62.0K

$110 ₡54.4K

13.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡53.0K

$80.0 ₡39.7K

33.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$887 ₡439.9K

$757 ₡375.4K

17.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$528 ₡261.8K

$588 ₡291.5K

-10.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 ₡707.7K

$731 ₡362.2K

95.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 ₡519.0K

$760 ₡376.9K

37.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,231 ₡1.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,763 ₡874.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$927 ₡459.7K

$1,228 ₡608.8K

-24.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

1.70%

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

Last update for San Jose: January 11, 2026

Last update for Cartago: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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