Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Matamoros

For one person, living is cheaper in Matamoros: $1,090 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
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Matamoros Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,090

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,938 in San Jose versus $1,090 in Matamoros.

San Jose $1,938
Matamoros $1,090

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,936 in San Jose versus $1,832 in Matamoros.

San Jose $2,936
Matamoros $1,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,934 in San Jose versus $2,573 in Matamoros.

San Jose $3,934
Matamoros $2,573

Living in San Jose is roughly 78% more expensive than in Matamoros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Jose is 44% above, Matamoros is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$12.38 MX$229

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$37.67 MX$696

61.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$9.06 MX$167

26.38%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$3.29 MX$60.8

33.43%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$1.47 MX$27.18

83.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$1.05 MX$19.40

83.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$2.26 MX$41.81

41.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$4.48 MX$82.8

-1.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.63 MX$30.12

49.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.40 MX$44.43

27.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.70 MX$31.43

41.76%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$2.57 MX$47.54

32.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$9.01 MX$167

19.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$7.82 MX$144

33.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$11.74 MX$217

19.17%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$2.70 MX$49.81

94.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.73 MX$31.92

-8.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$1.67 MX$30.82

180.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$2.05 MX$37.92

92.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$2.17 MX$40.01

80.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$2.09 MX$38.70

76.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.61 MX$29.73

-30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$1.22 MX$22.48

161.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$4.72 MX$87.2

27.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$10.79 MX$199

81.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$2.02 MX$37.32

39.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$3.18 MX$58.8

12.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.65 MX$12.03

72.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.71 MX$50.0

-7.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$2.25 MX$41.49

-27.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$11.47 MX$212

-25.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.34 MX$24.72

16.42%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$23.5K MX$435.0K

-4.80%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$23.9K MX$441.3K

48.99%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$56.2 MX$1,038

69.58%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$25.44 MX$470

39.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$26.61 MX$492

120.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$32.88 MX$608

121.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

$22.40 MX$414

10.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$4.48 MX$82.7

69.20%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$223 MX$4,114

349.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$4,650 MX$85.9K

268.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$53.3 MX$986

32.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$38.50 MX$711

44.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$99.1 MX$1,832

30.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$79.4 MX$1,467

64.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$646 MX$11.9K

43.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$337 MX$6,220

130.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$901 MX$16.7K

118.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$826 MX$15.3K

55.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$2,039 MX$37.7K

11.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$1,054 MX$19.5K

73.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.3

-23.72%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Matamoros: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Matamoros

$337 30.9% 56.5% $438

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Matamoros

$269 24.7% 32.8% $132

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Matamoros

$196 18% 14.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Matamoros

$108 9.9% 42.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Matamoros

$122 11.2% 30.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Matamoros

$42 3.8% 52.4% $46

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Matamoros

$17 * 1.5% 79.8% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $927 in San Jose and $646 in Matamoros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in San Jose vs $38.00 in Matamoros for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $269 per month, with Matamoros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🕒 Local time

23:38 11:38 PM

00:38 12:38 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

510,739

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Matamoros 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Matamoros

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 Matamoros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 78% lower than in San Jose. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Matamoros the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,907 in San Jose and $1,635 in Matamoros 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 $646 in Matamoros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,001 in San Jose versus $223 in Matamoros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Matamoros – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $61.0 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,090 in Matamoros versus $1,938 in San Jose, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Matamoros but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Matamoros the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Matamoros delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,090 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Matamoros hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Matamoros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.