Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Latacunga

For one person, living is cheaper in Latacunga: $782 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Latacunga
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Latacunga Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Latacunga

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $782 in Latacunga, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Latacunga $782

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $1,269 in Latacunga, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Latacunga $1,269

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $1,756 in Latacunga, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Latacunga $1,756

San Jose costs about 148% more than Latacunga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 44% above the global median, while Latacunga is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,562

$2.55 $2.55

385.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$28.41 $28.41

114.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,145

$9.03 $9.03

26.80%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,971

$2.79 $2.79

57.35%

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

$2.70 ₡1,213

$0.87 $0.87

210.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡865

$0.48 $0.48

302.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,436

$3.05 $3.05

4.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,982

$4.28 $4.28

3.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,095

$1.18 $1.18

106.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,372

$2.01 $2.01

51.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,083

$0.98 $0.98

145.92%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,526

$1.75 $1.75

94.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,832

$4.87 $4.87

120.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,688

$5.09 $5.09

104.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,286

$9.37 $9.37

49.31%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,357

$1.49 $1.49

252.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡713

$1.18 $1.18

34.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,107

$1.03 $1.03

355.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,774

$0.96 $0.96

311.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,763

$1.03 $1.03

280.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,655

$0.91 $0.91

304.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.52 $0.52

115.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,432

$1.02 $1.02

212.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,697

$5.90 $5.90

1.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,788

$10.09 $10.09

93.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,266

$1.46 $1.46

93.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,614

$2.22 $2.22

61.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.37 $0.37

202.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

$16.94 $16.94

294.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,121

$1.32 $1.32

89.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡734

$1.78 $1.78

-8.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,819

$12.05 $12.05

-29.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$0.66 $0.66

136.36%

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

$22.4K ₡10.1M

$20.7K $20.7K

8.22%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$31.3K $31.3K

13.85%

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

$95.2 ₡42.8K

$39.72 $39.72

139.73%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$14.95 $14.95

137.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$26.59 $26.59

120.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.7K

$27.47 $27.47

164.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.2K

$17.83 $17.83

39.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,408

$7.57 $7.57

0.13%

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

$1,001 ₡449.9K

$378 $378

164.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$5,776 $5,776

196.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.7K

$64.5 $64.5

9.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$40.29 $40.29

38.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.3K

$126 $126

2.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$91.6 $91.6

42.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡416.6K

$295 $295

214.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.9K

$188 $188

311.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡883.7K

$723 $723

172.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡578.7K

$407 $407

216.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$1,068 $1,068

112.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡822.6K

$739 $739

147.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡456.7K

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 Latacunga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Latacunga

$188 24.1% 75.7% $586

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Latacunga

$186 23.7% 53.7% $215

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Latacunga

$110 14.1% 51.9% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Latacunga

$81 10.4% 57.1% $108

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Latacunga

$145 18.6% 16.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Latacunga

$43 5.5% 51.5% $45

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Latacunga

$29 3.7% 65.1% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $927 in San Jose versus $295 in Latacunga. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in San Jose versus $28.00 in Latacunga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $186 – making Latacunga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇪🇨 Latacunga

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

57,127

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Latacunga 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Latacunga

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 Latacunga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,938 in San Jose, $782 in Latacunga – roughly 148% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,907 per month in San Jose and $1,173 in Latacunga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,001 per month in San Jose and $378 in Latacunga. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 116% more in San Jose, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Latacunga, where all-in costs run around $782, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Latacunga it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $782 in Latacunga to $1,938 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Latacunga. 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.