Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Hermosillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Hermosillo: $1,201 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Hermosillo
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Hermosillo Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Hermosillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,949 per month in San Jose vs $1,201 in Hermosillo, rent included.

San Jose $1,949
Hermosillo $1,201

A couple spends around $2,903 per month in San Jose vs $1,905 in Hermosillo, rent included.

San Jose $2,903
Hermosillo $1,905

A family of three spends $3,857 per month in San Jose vs $2,608 in Hermosillo, rent included.

San Jose $3,857
Hermosillo $2,608

San Jose costs about 62% more than Hermosillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 45% above the global median, while Hermosillo is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$10.85 MX$197

12.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$33.17 MX$603

81.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$8.31 MX$151

41.64%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$3.03 MX$55.1

41.91%

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

$2.72 ₡1,226

$1.20 MX$21.78

126.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$0.82 MX$14.89

124.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$2.80 MX$50.9

17.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$4.04 MX$73.6

7.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$1.80 MX$32.70

32.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$2.28 MX$41.56

36.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$1.99 MX$36.15

21.11%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.26 MX$59.3

6.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$4.42 MX$80.3

139.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$6.14 MX$112

71.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$13.62 MX$248

0.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$1.98 MX$36.04

154.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$2.05 MX$37.32

-21.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$2.78 MX$50.7

65.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$1.90 MX$34.49

102.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$2.15 MX$39.06

75.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$2.16 MX$39.22

74.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$1.02 MX$18.56

9.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

$1.52 MX$27.60

110.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$4.45 MX$81.0

31.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$8.69 MX$158

127.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$2.45 MX$44.49

12.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$3.24 MX$59.0

12.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.42 MX$7.61

166.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

$26.20 MX$477

148.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$2.00 MX$36.33

23.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

$11.28 MX$205

-25.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.44 MX$26.24

7.64%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$21.2K MX$385.9K

2.29%

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$24.6K MX$447.8K

41.67%

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

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$98.3 MX$1,787

-3.65%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$29.47 MX$536

19.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$32.90 MX$598

77.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$52.8 MX$961

36.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

$20.42 MX$372

23.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$4.50 MX$81.9

74.00%

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

$971 ₡437.9K

$299 MX$5,442

224.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$5,007 MX$91.1K

239.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$91.0 MX$1,656

-21.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$36.31 MX$660

51.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$149 MX$2,706

-13.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$127 MX$2,308

4.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

$538 MX$9,782

73.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

$320 MX$5,829

140.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

$1,015 MX$18.5K

91.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

$709 MX$12.9K

85.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

$1,820 MX$33.1K

25.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

$750 MX$13.6K

139.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

$886 MX$16.1K

13.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.6

-25.69%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Last update for Hermosillo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

Hermosillo

$320 26.9% 58.4% $450

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

Hermosillo

$259 21.7% 35.2% $140

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

Hermosillo

$178 15% 21.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

Hermosillo

$161 13.5% 14.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

Hermosillo

$181 15.2% 3.7% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Hermosillo

$62 5.2% 29.6% $26

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

Hermosillo

$30 * 2.5% 62.5% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $934 in San Jose versus $538 in Hermosillo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 14% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in San Jose versus $33.00 in Hermosillo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $259 – making Hermosillo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇲🇽 Hermosillo

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

00:31 12:31 AM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

855,563

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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 = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Hermosillo 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Hermosillo

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 Hermosillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose costs about 62% more than Hermosillo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,924 per month in San Jose and $1,802 in Hermosillo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hermosillo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 149% less in Hermosillo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $971 per month in San Jose and $299 in Hermosillo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hermosillo, where all-in costs run around $1,201, than in San Jose at $1,949. In Hermosillo it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hermosillo costs $1,201 versus $1,949 in San Jose. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Hermosillo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.