Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Cartago, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,733 a month against $2,105 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,105 in San Jose versus $1,733 in Cartago.

San Jose $2,105
Cartago $1,733

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,074 in San Jose versus $2,363 in Cartago.

San Jose $3,074
Cartago $2,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,043 in San Jose versus $2,993 in Cartago.

San Jose $4,043
Cartago $2,993

Living in San Jose is roughly 21% more expensive than in Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 55% above, Cartago 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.43 ₡5,612

$8.61 ₡3,886

44.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.5K

$35.63 ₡16.1K

70.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 ₡5,291

$9.75 ₡4,400

20.21%

Cappuccino

$4.47 ₡2,020

$4.55 ₡2,056

-1.76%

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

$2.75 ₡1,242

$2.24 ₡1,013

22.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡867

$1.37 ₡618

40.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 ₡1,471

$2.15 ₡972

51.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡2,009

$4.20 ₡1,896

5.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,063

$2.39 ₡1,079

-1.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 ₡1,393

$2.48 ₡1,118

24.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,084

$2.42 ₡1,093

-0.83%

Eggs

$3.44 ₡1,554

$3.59 ₡1,622

-4.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,843

$8.73 ₡3,940

22.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,676

$10.61 ₡4,788

-2.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ₡6,246

$13.93 ₡6,288

-0.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 ₡2,324

$5.05 ₡2,279

1.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡746

$1.33 ₡601

24.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,110

$4.37 ₡1,975

6.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 ₡1,799

$2.99 ₡1,350

33.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,762

$2.16 ₡977

80.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 ₡1,648

$2.25 ₡1,015

62.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡488

$1.07 ₡484

0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,399

$2.18 ₡985

42.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 ₡2,746

$5.98 ₡2,700

1.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.05 ₡9,051

$15.61 ₡7,047

28.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,252

$2.85 ₡1,286

-2.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,667

$2.02 ₡911

82.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.27 ₡571

-11.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

$74.1 ₡33.5K

-9.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,123

$1.31 ₡591

90.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡736

$1.57 ₡711

3.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 ₡3,823

$8.73 ₡3,941

-2.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.50 ₡675

4.67%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$34.7K ₡15.7M

-0.33%

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

$42.3K ₡19.1M

0.13%

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

$93.2 ₡42.1K

$53.0 ₡23.9K

75.75%

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

$36.05 ₡16.3K

$36.31 ₡16.4K

-0.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 ₡26.7K

$60.0 ₡27.1K

-1.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₡31.2K

$68.0 ₡30.7K

1.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

$77.5 ₡35.0K

-68.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ₡3,544

$7.16 ₡3,234

9.64%

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

$996 ₡449.6K

$559 ₡252.2K

78.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$7,872 ₡3.6M

116.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 ₡31.7K

$72.8 ₡32.9K

-3.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.9K

$56.8 ₡25.7K

-2.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.6K

$121 ₡54.8K

6.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡59.2K

$87.1 ₡39.3K

50.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₡525.5K

$733 ₡331.0K

58.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 ₡426.6K

$725 ₡327.1K

30.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 ₡899.8K

$1,920 ₡866.9K

3.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 ₡633.7K

$702 ₡316.8K

100.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ₡921.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ₡456.3K

$1,305 ₡589.0K

-22.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cartago: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$945 44.9%

Cartago

$725 41.8% 23.3% $220

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 19%

Cartago

$350 20.2% 12.3% $49

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Cartago

$186 10.8% 19.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9%

Cartago

$149 8.6% 20.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Cartago

$152 8.8% 12.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$85 4%

Cartago

$82 4.8% 2.8% $2.4

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 3.9%

Cartago

$88 5.1% 8% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,164 in San Jose and $733 in Cartago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartago pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61 in San Jose vs $36 in Cartago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $350 per month, with Cartago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇷 Cartago

🕒 Local time

14:46 2:46 PM

Same time as San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

110,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Cartago 19 km

From you

San Jose
Cartago

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 Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartago is about 18% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in San Jose. 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: $1,164 in San Jose versus $733 in Cartago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 10% less than in Cartago. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $996 in San Jose versus $559 in Cartago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Cartago gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.