Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Escazu Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Escazu

😐 Solo nomad: San Jose is 14.5% more expensive than Escazu without rent, and 22.7% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: San Jose is 9.4% cheaper than Escazu without rent, and 6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 ₡5,385

$11.05 ₡5,534

-2.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59 ₡29.5K

$59.4 ₡29.7K

-0.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.85 ₡4,931

$9.88 ₡4,945

-0.30%

Cappuccino

$3.88 ₡1,942

$3.87 ₡1,937

0.26%

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

$1.96 ₡983

$1.97 ₡987

-0.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₡794

$1.64 ₡822

-3.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 ₡1,522

$3.02 ₡1,511

0.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 ₡2,300

$4.75 ₡2,376

-3.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ₡1,013

$1.99 ₡999

1.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 ₡1,443

$2.81 ₡1,408

2.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ₡1,067

Eggs

$2.94 ₡1,472

$2.98 ₡1,492

-1.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 ₡4,852

$9.81 ₡4,909

-1.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ₡4,617

$9.26 ₡4,636

-0.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 ₡6,831

$13.9 ₡6,960

-1.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 ₡2,238

$4.44 ₡2,221

0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₡728

$1.45 ₡725

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 ₡2,192

$4.18 ₡2,093

4.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 ₡1,779

$3.2 ₡1,604

10.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.55 ₡1,777

$3.46 ₡1,731

2.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 ₡1,628

$3.13 ₡1,565

3.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₡519

$0.94 ₡471

10.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.8 ₡1,403

$2.8 ₡1,401

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.43 ₡2,716

$5.12 ₡2,562

6.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.98 ₡9,503

$17.22 ₡8,621

10.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₡1,205

$1.75 ₡876

37.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ₡1,461

$2.66 ₡1,333

9.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1 ₡501

$0.89 ₡445

12.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.57 ₡20.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₡939

$1.69 ₡848

11.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 ₡930

$1.84 ₡923

1.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.8 ₡3,904

$7.71 ₡3,858

1.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.4 ₡699

$1.39 ₡696

0.72%

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

$37.7K ₡18.9M

$30.8K ₡15.4M

22.38%

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

$32.7K ₡16.4M

$32.5K ₡16.3M

0.68%

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

$92.9 ₡46.5K

$66.3 ₡33.2K

40.15%

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

$25.98 ₡13K

$25.76 ₡12.9K

0.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.2 ₡30.1K

$51.2 ₡25.6K

17.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.2 ₡28.2K

$106 ₡53.1K

-46.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.51 ₡19.3K

$10.05 ₡5,033

283.18%

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 ₡4,953

$10.1 ₡5,055

-2.08%

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

$567 ₡283.6K

$575 ₡288K

-1.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K ₡6.4M

$13.9K ₡7M

-7.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 ₡31.8K

$63.3 ₡31.7K

0.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 ₡25.4K

$51.5 ₡25.8K

-1.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 ₡62.6K

$124 ₡61.8K

1.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡53.7K

$106 ₡52.9K

1.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$865 ₡433K

$1,058 ₡529.8K

-18.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 ₡268.3K

$1,086 ₡543.5K

-50.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 ₡714.5K

$1,639 ₡820.4K

-12.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 ₡517.9K

$1,286 ₡643.9K

-19.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,869 ₡1.4M

$1,579 ₡790.2K

81.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,697 ₡849.3K

$1,127 ₡564.2K

50.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$996 ₡498.4K

$1,574 ₡787.9K

-36.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

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

Last update for San Jose: October 29, 2025

Last update for Escazu: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

Tallinn

🇪🇪 Estonia

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

Turin

🇮🇹 Italy

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan