Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Mazatlan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazatlan: $1,436 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Mazatlan
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Mazatlan Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Mazatlan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,949 per month in San Jose vs $1,436 in Mazatlan, rent included.

San Jose $1,949
Mazatlan $1,436

A couple spends around $2,903 per month in San Jose vs $2,041 in Mazatlan, rent included.

San Jose $2,903
Mazatlan $2,041

A family of three spends $3,857 per month in San Jose vs $2,645 in Mazatlan, rent included.

San Jose $3,857
Mazatlan $2,645

San Jose costs about 36% more than Mazatlan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Jose and Mazatlan sit above the global median – San Jose by 45%, Mazatlan by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$10.96 MX$201

11.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$46.29 MX$850

29.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$8.37 MX$154

40.62%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$3.40 MX$62.4

26.47%

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

$2.72 ₡1,226

$1.45 MX$26.53

87.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$1.10 MX$20.12

67.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$2.13 MX$39.04

53.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$2.83 MX$52.0

54.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$1.64 MX$30.14

45.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$2.59 MX$47.48

20.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$1.33 MX$24.44

81.20%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$2.74 MX$50.4

26.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$8.06 MX$148

31.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$6.94 MX$127

52.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$7.67 MX$141

79.27%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$2.72 MX$49.89

85.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$1.70 MX$31.17

-5.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$1.62 MX$29.79

183.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$0.52 MX$9.52

638.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$1.63 MX$29.99

131.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$1.37 MX$25.12

174.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$1.60 MX$29.44

-30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$4.20 MX$77.1

39.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$15.98 MX$293

23.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$2.03 MX$37.24

35.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$3.09 MX$56.8

18.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.69 MX$12.72

62.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

$41.84 MX$768

55.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$3.71 MX$68.0

-33.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

$2.45 MX$45.00

-37.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.53 MX$28.17

1.31%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$21.4K MX$393.0K

1.39%

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$24.8K MX$455.0K

40.72%

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

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$59.0 MX$1,084

60.37%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$46.93 MX$862

-25.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$43.53 MX$799

34.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$45.05 MX$827

60.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$4.39 MX$80.7

78.36%

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

$971 ₡437.9K

$88.4 MX$1,624

998.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$2,007 MX$36.9K

746.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$63.9 MX$1,173

12.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$27.58 MX$506

98.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$112 MX$2,055

15.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$84.1 MX$1,545

58.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

$788 MX$14.5K

18.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

$619 MX$11.4K

24.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

$1,241 MX$22.8K

56.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

$840 MX$15.4K

56.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

$1,579 MX$29.0K

44.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

$1,051 MX$19.3K

70.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

$533 MX$9,785

88.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.6

-25.69%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Last update for Mazatlan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

Mazatlan

$619 43.4% 19.6% $151

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

Mazatlan

$236 * 16.5% 40.9% $163

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

Mazatlan

$180 12.6% 21.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

Mazatlan

$150 10.5% 20.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

Mazatlan

$129 9.1% 26% $45

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Mazatlan

$54 3.8% 38.7% $34

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

Mazatlan

$61 4.2% 24% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $934 in San Jose versus $788 in Mazatlan. 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 89% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in San Jose versus $46.00 in Mazatlan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $236 – making Mazatlan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇲🇽 Mazatlan

🕒 Local time

07:44 7:44 AM

06:44 6:44 AM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

441,975

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Mazatlan 2,790 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Mazatlan

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 Mazatlan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,949 in San Jose, $1,436 in Mazatlan – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,924 per month in San Jose and $2,155 in Mazatlan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 56% less in Mazatlan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $971 per month in San Jose and $88.4 in Mazatlan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mazatlan, where all-in costs run around $1,436, than in San Jose at $1,949. In Mazatlan 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 $1,436 in Mazatlan to $1,949 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Mazatlan. 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.