Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Chiclayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiclayo: $995 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Chiclayo
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Chiclayo Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Chiclayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$995

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $995 in Chiclayo, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Chiclayo $995

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $1,581 in Chiclayo, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Chiclayo $1,581

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $2,167 in Chiclayo, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Chiclayo $2,167

San Jose costs about 95% more than Chiclayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 44% above the global median, while Chiclayo is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$5.09 PEN 17.49

143.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$34.64 PEN 119

75.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$8.94 PEN 30.69

28.08%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$4.28 PEN 14.70

2.57%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$0.88 PEN 3.02

206.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$0.46 PEN 1.58

319.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$8.49 PEN 29.16

-62.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$2.18 PEN 7.49

11.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.21 PEN 7.60

38.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$2.15 PEN 7.38

12.09%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$2.42 PEN 8.30

40.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$6.72 PEN 23.07

59.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$6.36 PEN 21.85

63.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$9.56 PEN 32.85

46.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$2.53 PEN 8.69

107.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.81 PEN 6.22

-12.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$2.47 PEN 8.47

89.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$1.74 PEN 5.98

127.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$1.15 PEN 3.95

240.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$2.15 PEN 7.39

71.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.67 PEN 2.28

67.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$0.95 PEN 3.27

235.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$5.29 PEN 18.17

13.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$12.02 PEN 41.28

62.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$1.50 PEN 5.15

88.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$1.84 PEN 6.32

95.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.73 PEN 2.52

53.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

$29.06 PEN 99.8

129.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$3.20 PEN 10.99

-21.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$2.91 PEN 9.98

-43.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$6.41 PEN 22.01

32.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.29 PEN 4.43

20.93%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$25.0K PEN 85.7K

-10.24%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$23.8K PEN 81.7K

49.56%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$49.99 PEN 172

90.48%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$26.73 PEN 91.8

33.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$31.73 PEN 109

84.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$61.1 PEN 210

18.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

$25.30 PEN 86.9

-1.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$7.63 PEN 26.21

-0.66%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$248 PEN 852

303.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$3,972 PEN 13.6K

331.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$50.1 PEN 172

40.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$59.6 PEN 205

-6.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$199 PEN 684

-34.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$147 PEN 505

-10.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$235 PEN 806

294.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$146 PEN 502

430.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$449 PEN 1,541

338.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$253 PEN 869

408.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$1,123 PEN 3,858

102.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$1,080 PEN 3,710

69.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

$489 PEN 1,680

107.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-21.64%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiclayo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Chiclayo

$146 14.7% 81.1% $628

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Chiclayo

$242 24.3% 39.7% $159

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Chiclayo

$167 * 16.8% 27.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Chiclayo

$108 10.9% 42.8% $81

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Chiclayo

$205 20.6% 17.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Chiclayo

$76 7.7% 13% $11

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Chiclayo

$50 5% 39.3% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $927 in San Jose versus $235 in Chiclayo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 108% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in San Jose versus $35.00 in Chiclayo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $242 – making Chiclayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇵🇪 Chiclayo

🕒 Local time

21:46 9:46 PM

22:46 10:46 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

60,325

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Chiclayo 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Chiclayo

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 Chiclayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,938 in San Jose, $995 in Chiclayo – roughly 95% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,907 per month in San Jose and $1,492 in Chiclayo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiclayo, 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 $61.0 in San Jose and $35.00 in Chiclayo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,938 in San Jose and $995 in Chiclayo. That's a gap of about 95%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiclayo, where all-in costs run around $995, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Chiclayo 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 $995 in Chiclayo to $1,938 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiclayo. 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.