Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Envigado

For one person, living is cheaper in Envigado: $1,298 a month against $1,924 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most 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 Envigado
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Envigado Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Envigado

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,924 in San Jose versus $1,298 in Envigado.

San Jose $1,924
Envigado $1,298

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,926 in San Jose versus $2,060 in Envigado.

San Jose $2,926
Envigado $2,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,929 in San Jose versus $2,823 in Envigado.

San Jose $3,929
Envigado $2,823

Living in San Jose is roughly 48% more expensive than in Envigado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Jose is 42% above, Envigado is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,513

$7.12 COP 22.6K

72.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡27.9K

$47.77 COP 151.5K

30.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 ₡5,171

$9.56 COP 30.3K

20.61%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,953

$2.70 COP 8,571

61.11%

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

$2.64 ₡1,183

$1.38 COP 4,388

91.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡836

$1.01 COP 3,209

84.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,490

$3.17 COP 10.0K

4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,026

$3.67 COP 11.6K

23.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$1.34 COP 4,237

78.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,381

$2.59 COP 8,224

18.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$1.52 COP 4,827

64.47%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,562

$3.24 COP 10.3K

7.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,815

$9.01 COP 28.6K

19.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,629

$8.59 COP 27.2K

20.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,325

$11.80 COP 37.4K

19.49%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,256

$4.08 COP 12.9K

23.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$1.67 COP 5,298

-4.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 ₡2,171

$2.10 COP 6,672

130.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,776

$1.98 COP 6,293

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,684

$1.37 COP 4,330

174.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$1.69 COP 5,355

120.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡485

$1.18 COP 3,738

-8.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,456

$1.16 COP 3,693

180.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,627

$4.22 COP 13.4K

38.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 ₡9,095

$12.97 COP 41.1K

56.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.39 COP 4,420

108.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ₡1,673

$2.41 COP 7,635

54.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

$1.13 COP 3,597

-4.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$1.59 COP 5,051

57.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

$1.99 COP 6,311

-18.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

$7.34 COP 23.3K

18.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡709

$1.34 COP 4,249

17.91%

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

$33.6K ₡15.1M

$34.4K COP 109.1M

-2.35%

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

$41.7K ₡18.7M

$34.9K COP 110.8M

19.28%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$126 COP 399.5K

-25.66%

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

$35.42 ₡15.9K

$13.19 COP 41.8K

168.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡26.9K

$30.90 COP 98.0K

94.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$32.68 COP 103.6K

122.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,471

$6.41 COP 20.3K

20.75%

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

$1,005 ₡450.9K

$568 COP 1.8M

77.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$8,403 COP 26.6M

101.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 ₡32.8K

$83.6 COP 264.9K

-12.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$49.32 COP 156.4K

12.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$153 COP 485.3K

-16.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.5K

$106 COP 334.7K

23.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ₡418.0K

$558 COP 1.8M

67.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡340.8K

$463 COP 1.5M

64.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

$1,079 COP 3.4M

78.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

$951 COP 3.0M

34.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.0M

$1,895 COP 6.0M

21.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ₡821.9K

$1,739 COP 5.5M

5.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-28.17%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Last update for Envigado: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$760 39.5%

Envigado

$463 35.6% 39.1% $297

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 21%

Envigado

$276 21.3% 31.5% $127

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.9%

Envigado

$151 11.6% 34.1% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Envigado

$170 13.1% 10% $19

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9.1%

Envigado

$176 13.6% 1.1% $2

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Envigado

$45 3.5% 48.3% $43

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.2%

Envigado

$16 * 1.2% 80% $64

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 $932 in San Jose and $558 in Envigado. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in San Jose vs $48.00 in Envigado for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $276 per month, with Envigado cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇴 Envigado

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

14:24 2:24 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

204,399

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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 Envigado 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Envigado

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 Envigado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Envigado wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in San Jose. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Envigado the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,886 in San Jose and $1,946 in Envigado 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: $932 in San Jose versus $558 in Envigado. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,005 in San Jose versus $568 in Envigado. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Envigado – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $62.0 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,298 in Envigado versus $1,924 in San Jose, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Envigado but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Envigado the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Envigado delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,298 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Envigado hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Envigado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.