Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Duitama

For one person, living is cheaper in Duitama: $1,282 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Duitama
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Duitama Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Duitama

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,282

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,938 in San Jose versus $1,282 in Duitama.

San Jose $1,938
Duitama $1,282

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,936 in San Jose versus $2,026 in Duitama.

San Jose $2,936
Duitama $2,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,934 in San Jose versus $2,770 in Duitama.

San Jose $3,934
Duitama $2,770

Living in San Jose is roughly 51% more expensive than in Duitama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Jose is 44% above, Duitama is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$7.92 COP 25.1K

56.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$42.97 COP 136.3K

41.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$10.28 COP 32.6K

11.38%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$2.60 COP 8,254

68.85%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$1.35 COP 4,280

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$0.85 COP 2,681

127.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$2.02 COP 6,401

58.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$3.96 COP 12.6K

11.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.66 COP 5,251

46.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.53 COP 8,007

20.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.63 COP 5,175

47.85%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$3.51 COP 11.1K

-3.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$7.77 COP 24.6K

38.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$7.37 COP 23.4K

41.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$10.00 COP 31.7K

39.90%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$3.56 COP 11.3K

47.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.75 COP 5,553

-9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$1.90 COP 6,040

146.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$1.78 COP 5,635

121.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$1.42 COP 4,516

176.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$1.38 COP 4,367

166.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.34 COP 4,238

-16.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$1.18 COP 3,745

170.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$4.42 COP 14.0K

35.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$12.62 COP 40.0K

54.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$1.39 COP 4,397

102.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$2.86 COP 9,080

25.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.14 COP 3,612

-1.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.41 COP 7,641

3.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$2.31 COP 7,336

-29.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$9.41 COP 29.8K

-9.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.34 COP 4,263

16.42%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$23.3K COP 74.0M

-3.94%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$34.8K COP 110.4M

2.18%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$126 COP 399.4K

-24.42%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$16.01 COP 50.8K

122.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$29.98 COP 95.1K

95.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$42.07 COP 133.4K

72.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$8.02 COP 25.4K

-5.49%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$500 COP 1.6M

100.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$7,438 COP 23.6M

130.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$83.2 COP 263.7K

-15.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$48.43 COP 153.6K

15.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$142 COP 448.9K

-8.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$105 COP 333.2K

24.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$591 COP 1.9M

56.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$449 COP 1.4M

72.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$1,053 COP 3.3M

86.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$931 COP 3.0M

38.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$2,232 COP 7.1M

1.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$1,787 COP 5.7M

2.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

12.81

-32.71%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Duitama: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Duitama

$449 35% 42% $325

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Duitama

$262 20.4% 34.7% $139

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Duitama

$152 11.9% 33.6% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Duitama

$172 13.4% 9.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Duitama

$170 13.3% 2.2% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Duitama

$58 4.5% 33.9% $30

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Duitama

$19 * 1.5% 77.4% $63

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 $927 in San Jose and $591 in Duitama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in San Jose vs $43.00 in Duitama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $262 per month, with Duitama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇴 Duitama

🕒 Local time

22:00 10:00 PM

23:00 11:00 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

126,670

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Duitama 1,300 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Duitama

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 Duitama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Duitama wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in San Jose. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Duitama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,907 in San Jose and $1,923 in Duitama to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $927 in San Jose versus $591 in Duitama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,938 per month in San Jose versus $1,282 in Duitama – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,282 in Duitama versus $1,938 in San Jose, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Duitama but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Duitama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Duitama delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,282 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Duitama hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, San Jose and Duitama are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Duitama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.