Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,949 in San Jose versus $996 in Lima.

San Jose $1,949
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,903 in San Jose versus $1,594 in Lima.

San Jose $2,903
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,857 in San Jose versus $2,191 in Lima.

San Jose $3,857
Lima $2,191

Living in San Jose is roughly 96% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Jose is 45% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$4.42 PEN 15.21

176.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$35.04 PEN 121

71.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$6.84 PEN 23.52

72.08%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$3.27 PEN 11.26

31.50%

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

$2.72 ₡1,226

$1.10 PEN 3.80

147.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$0.65 PEN 2.23

183.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$2.58 PEN 8.88

27.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$4.47 PEN 15.39

-2.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$1.59 PEN 5.48

49.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$2.58 PEN 8.89

20.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$1.36 PEN 4.67

77.21%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$2.95 PEN 10.14

17.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$9.10 PEN 31.30

16.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$5.81 PEN 19.98

81.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$9.83 PEN 33.80

39.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$2.01 PEN 6.92

150.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$1.08 PEN 3.70

49.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$1.37 PEN 4.71

235.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$1.48 PEN 5.08

159.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$0.96 PEN 3.32

292.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$0.85 PEN 2.93

342.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$0.88 PEN 3.03

27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

$0.87 PEN 2.98

267.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$5.90 PEN 20.31

-1.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$8.81 PEN 30.31

123.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$1.92 PEN 6.59

43.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$3.20 PEN 11.02

14.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.68 PEN 2.33

64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

$26.74 PEN 92.0

143.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-35.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-24.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

$7.14 PEN 24.57

18.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-6.06%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

-2.14%

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

35.87%

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

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$73.0 PEN 251

29.63%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$16.26 PEN 55.9

115.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$27.60 PEN 94.9

112.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$33.07 PEN 114

118.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

$19.49 PEN 67.1

29.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$7.39 PEN 25.41

5.95%

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

$971 ₡437.9K

$182 PEN 626

433.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

27.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$52.6 PEN 181

36.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$34.23 PEN 118

60.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$83.8 PEN 288

54.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$79.0 PEN 272

68.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

$723 PEN 2,488

29.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

$340 PEN 1,170

126.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

$1,184 PEN 4,074

64.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

$635 PEN 2,183

107.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

$2,449 PEN 8,423

-7.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

$1,372 PEN 4,718

30.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

$653 PEN 2,245

54.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.94

-3.58%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

Lima

$340 33.6% 55.8% $430

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

Lima

$226 22.4% 43.3% $173

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

Lima

$124 12.3% 45.6% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

Lima

$117 11.6% 37.9% $71

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

Lima

$112 11.1% 35.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Lima

$48 4.7% 45.5% $40

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 45.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $934 in San Jose and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Jose pays 54% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $60.0 in San Jose vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

22:42 10:42 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, 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).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Lima 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Lima

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 Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose and Lima differ by about 96% in total monthly costs ($1,949 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 54% higher in San Jose, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $934 in San Jose versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $971 in San Jose versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 76% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,949 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Lima 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 Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.