Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Durango, CO

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,013 in Durango, CO, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Durango, CO outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
145

Cost of Living Index in Durango, CO
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Durango, CO Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Durango, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,013

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Durango, CO

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,013 in Durango, CO.

San Jose $2,107
Durango, CO $3,013

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $4,117 in Durango, CO.

San Jose $3,081
Durango, CO $4,117

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $5,221 in Durango, CO.

San Jose $4,054
Durango, CO $5,221

Living in San Jose costs roughly 30% less than in Durango, CO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, Durango, CO 123% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$14.85 $14.85

-16.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$59.7 $59.7

4.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$8.13 $8.13

44.03%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$4.79 $4.79

-5.22%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.94 $2.94

-6.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$2.44 $2.44

-23.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$5.84 $5.84

-42.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$6.83 $6.83

-36.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$0.92 $0.92

156.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$3.29 $3.29

-6.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$3.24 $3.24

-22.53%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$4.83 $4.83

-26.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$11.93 $11.93

-11.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$9.72 $9.72

8.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$11.07 $11.07

25.75%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$4.35 $4.35

19.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.42 $1.42

16.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$4.22 $4.22

15.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$5.15 $5.15

-25.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$3.12 $3.12

25.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$3.35 $3.35

12.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.02 $2.02

-44.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$2.89 $2.89

11.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$10.88 $10.88

-44.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$4.08 $4.08

386.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.40 $2.40

17.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.53 $3.53

3.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$29.92 $29.92

118.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.91 $3.91

-42.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$2.15 $2.15

-17.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$35.08 $35.08

-77.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$0.84 $0.84

78.57%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$29.8K $29.8K

12.42%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$25.0K $25.0K

68.85%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$160 $160

-41.84%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$52.3 $52.3

-30.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$68.3 $68.3

-11.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$18.87 $18.87

265.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$11.89 $11.89

-35.49%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$1,344 $1,344

-27.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$23.3K $23.3K

-19.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$53.9 $53.9

31.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$42.79 $42.79

32.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$104 $104

24.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$120 $120

9.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$2,355 $2,355

-50.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,885 $1,885

-49.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$3,431 $3,431

-42.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$2,754 $2,754

-49.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$4,960 $4,960

-45.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$4,885 $4,885

-58.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$4,720 $4,720

-79.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.36

35.53%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Durango, CO: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Durango, CO

$1.9K 62.6% 99.9% $942

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Durango, CO

$351 11.6% 12.9% $52

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Durango, CO

$265 8.8% 14.1% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Durango, CO

$281 9.3% 47.9% $91

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Durango, CO

$144 4.8% 17.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Durango, CO

$43 1.4% 49.4% $42

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Durango, CO

$45 * 1.5% 44.7% $36

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 $1,170 in San Jose and $2,355 in Durango, CO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durango, CO pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $60 in Durango, CO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $351 per month, with Durango, CO cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇺🇸 Durango, CO

🕒 Local time

03:34 3:34 AM

02:34 2:34 AM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

19,071

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Durango, CO 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Durango, CO

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 Durango, CO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 79% 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: $1,170 in San Jose versus $2,355 in Durango, CO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Durango, CO runs roughly 54% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $972 in San Jose versus $1,344 in Durango, CO. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,013 in Durango, CO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Durango, CO. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Durango, CO on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.