Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Colombia

Name: Colombia
Address: CO

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombia: $1,315 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half 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 Colombia
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Colombia Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,315

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: San Jose is 46.4% more expensive than Colombia without rent, and 48.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: San Jose is 44.6% more expensive than Colombia without rent, and 37.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$7.60 COP 24.2K

60.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$45.19 COP 144.0K

33.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$9.60 COP 30.6K

22.60%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$2.64 COP 8,406

62.88%

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

$2.72 ₡1,226

$1.36 COP 4,321

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$0.94 COP 2,997

95.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$2.43 COP 7,745

34.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$4.07 COP 13.0K

7.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$1.52 COP 4,849

56.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$2.16 COP 6,868

44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$1.58 COP 5,030

52.53%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$2.94 COP 9,353

18.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$7.42 COP 23.6K

42.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$8.67 COP 27.6K

21.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$10.92 COP 34.8K

25.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$3.69 COP 11.8K

36.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$1.47 COP 4,678

9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$1.82 COP 5,804

152.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$1.88 COP 6,007

104.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$1.50 COP 4,776

151.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$1.44 COP 4,594

161.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$1.18 COP 3,769

-5.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

$1.14 COP 3,642

180.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$4.02 COP 12.8K

45.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$12.57 COP 40.1K

56.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$1.45 COP 4,619

89.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$2.56 COP 8,155

42.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.08 COP 3,441

3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

$61.1 COP 194.8K

6.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$2.09 COP 6,662

17.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

$2.04 COP 6,511

-24.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

$7.92 COP 25.3K

6.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.31 COP 4,176

18.32%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$25.9K COP 82.7M

-16.35%

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$33.5K COP 106.7M

4.17%

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

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$129 COP 409.7K

-26.35%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$13.09 COP 41.7K

168.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$28.31 COP 90.2K

106.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$33.80 COP 107.7K

113.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

$16.66 COP 53.1K

51.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$5.95 COP 19.0K

31.60%

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

$971 ₡437.9K

$643 COP 2.1M

50.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$8,075 COP 25.7M

110.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$74.9 COP 238.7K

-4.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$53.5 COP 170.5K

2.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$133 COP 425.1K

-3.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$103 COP 328.0K

29.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

$691 COP 2.2M

35.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

$430 COP 1.4M

79.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

$1,245 COP 4.0M

56.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

$812 COP 2.6M

62.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

$2,366 COP 7.5M

-3.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

$1,507 COP 4.8M

19.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

$594 COP 1.9M

69.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

12.51

-31.10%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Last update for Colombia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

Colombia

$430 33.1% 44.2% $340

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

Colombia

$261 20.1% 34.7% $138

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

Colombia

$151 11.6% 33.9% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

Colombia

$170 13.1% 9.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

Colombia

$164 12.6% 6.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Colombia

$46 3.5% 48% $42

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

Colombia

$78 6% 2.5% $2

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇴 Colombia

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

08:01 8:01 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

52,321,152

💱 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 = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

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Between locations

San Jose Colombia 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Colombia

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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