Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Intag Valley

For one person, living is cheaper in Intag Valley: $887 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Intag Valley
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Intag Valley Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Intag Valley

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Intag Valley

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,938 in San Jose versus $887 in Intag Valley.

San Jose $1,938
Intag Valley $887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,936 in San Jose versus $1,338 in Intag Valley.

San Jose $2,936
Intag Valley $1,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,934 in San Jose versus $1,789 in Intag Valley.

San Jose $3,934
Intag Valley $1,789

Living in San Jose is roughly 119% more expensive than in Intag Valley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Jose is 44% above, Intag Valley is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$3.45 $3.45

258.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$28.32 $28.32

114.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$7.51 $7.51

52.46%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$2.40 $2.40

82.92%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$0.87 $0.87

210.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$0.61 $0.61

216.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$2.05 $2.05

56.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$3.46 $3.46

27.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.13 $1.13

115.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$1.65 $1.65

84.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.54 $1.54

56.49%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$2.18 $2.18

55.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$5.61 $5.61

91.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$5.62 $5.62

85.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$6.20 $6.20

125.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$2.03 $2.03

158.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.16 $1.16

37.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$1.04 $1.04

350.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$1.07 $1.07

269.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$1.43 $1.43

174.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$1.02 $1.02

260.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.49 $0.49

128.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$0.98 $0.98

225.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$5.97 $5.97

0.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$10.18 $10.18

92.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$1.53 $1.53

84.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$2.51 $2.51

43.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.34 $0.34

229.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

$23.96 $23.96

178.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$1.52 $1.52

64.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.01 $1.01

61.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$9.97 $9.97

-14.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.63 $0.63

147.62%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$24.6K $24.6K

-9.09%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$29.2K $29.2K

21.96%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$39.47 $39.47

141.25%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$13.91 $13.91

155.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$31.17 $31.17

88.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$30.51 $30.51

138.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

$14.39 $14.39

72.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$7.34 $7.34

3.27%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$253 $253

295.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$5,677 $5,677

201.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$56.6 $56.6

24.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$44.14 $44.14

26.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$101 $101

28.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$73.6 $73.6

77.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$341 $341

171.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$313 $313

147.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$631 $631

211.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$490 $490

162.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$1,218 $1,218

86.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$1,024 $1,024

78.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-13.80%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Intag Valley: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Intag Valley

$313 35.3% 59.6% $461

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Intag Valley

$186 21% 53.7% $215

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Intag Valley

$102 11.5% 55.5% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Intag Valley

$85 9.5% 55.4% $105

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Intag Valley

$124 14% 28.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Intag Valley

$45 5.1% 48.5% $43

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Intag Valley

$32 3.6% 61.1% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $927 in San Jose and $341 in Intag Valley. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in San Jose vs $28.00 in Intag Valley for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $186 per month, with Intag Valley cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇪🇨 Intag Valley

🕒 Local time

00:56 12:56 AM

01:56 1:56 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

15,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Intag Valley 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Intag Valley

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 Intag Valley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose and Intag Valley differ by about 119% in total monthly costs ($1,938 vs $887 including rent). Intag Valley is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,907 in San Jose and $1,330 in Intag Valley 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 $341 in Intag Valley. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 116% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Intag Valley – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $61.0 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $887 in Intag Valley versus $1,938 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Intag Valley but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Intag Valley 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.

Expats usually find Intag Valley gentler on the wallet – expenses run 119% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.