Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Marathon

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,266 in Marathon, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Marathon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Marathon
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Marathon Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Marathon

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,266

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $2,266 in Marathon, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
Marathon $2,266

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $3,241 in Marathon, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
Marathon $3,241

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $4,216 in Marathon, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
Marathon $4,216

San Jose is about 7% cheaper than Marathon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Jose and Marathon sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, Marathon by 68%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$17.53 CA$24.58

-29.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$65.0 CA$91.1

-3.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$10.53 CA$14.75

11.21%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$3.60 CA$5.04

26.11%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.01 CA$2.81

36.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.64 CA$2.30

13.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$5.03 CA$7.04

-33.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$5.66 CA$7.93

-23.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$2.03 CA$2.85

16.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.62 CA$3.67

17.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$3.46 CA$4.85

-27.46%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.52 CA$4.93

0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$10.01 CA$14.03

5.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$11.40 CA$15.98

-7.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$14.64 CA$20.53

-4.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$3.89 CA$5.45

33.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.36 CA$1.90

21.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.72 CA$5.22

31.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.93 CA$5.50

-2.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.43 CA$3.41

60.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.27 CA$3.18

65.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.36 CA$3.31

-52.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.60 CA$2.25

101.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$14.29 CA$20.04

-57.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$12.80 CA$17.95

55.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.75 CA$3.85

2.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.05 CA$4.28

19.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.27 CA$3.18

-52.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$62.9 CA$88.1

3.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$2.99 CA$4.19

-24.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.44 CA$2.01

23.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$23.17 CA$32.48

-65.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.17 CA$1.64

28.21%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$27.6K CA$38.6K

21.47%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$21.5K CA$30.1K

97.10%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$136 CA$190

-31.40%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$39.37 CA$55.2

-8.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$54.5 CA$76.4

11.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$37.66 CA$52.8

83.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$18.38 CA$25.76

35.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$10.71 CA$15.02

-28.38%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$648 CA$909

49.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$13.3K CA$18.7K

41.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$56.0 CA$78.5

26.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$39.00 CA$54.7

45.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$84.8 CA$119

51.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$105 CA$147

24.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,307 CA$1,832

-10.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,148 CA$1,609

-17.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,007 CA$2,813

-1.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,686 CA$2,363

-16.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$4,395 CA$6,161

-39.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$3,557 CA$4,987

-42.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$1,803 CA$2,527

-45.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.68

84.19%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Marathon: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Marathon

$1.1K 50.6% 21.7% $204

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Marathon

$353 15.6% 12.2% $49

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Marathon

$266 11.7% 14.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Marathon

$230 10.1% 21% $40

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Marathon

$128 5.7% 26.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Marathon

$59 2.6% 29.9% $25

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Marathon

$82 3.6% 1.7% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,307 in Marathon. 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 83% higher in Marathon. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose versus $65 in Marathon. Groceries tell a different story – $403 in San Jose vs $353 in Marathon – so Marathon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Marathon

🕒 Local time

02:13 2:13 AM

03:13 3:13 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

3,300

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Jose Marathon 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Marathon

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 Marathon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Marathon is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $3,399 in Marathon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,307 in Marathon.

Kindergarten costs $972 per month in San Jose and $648 in Marathon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Marathon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,107 in San Jose and $2,266 in Marathon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,266 in Marathon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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