Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Montanita

For one person, living is cheaper in Montanita: $903 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Montanita
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Montanita Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Montanita

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$903

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,949 in San Jose versus $903 in Montanita.

San Jose $1,949
Montanita $903

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,903 in San Jose versus $1,360 in Montanita.

San Jose $2,903
Montanita $1,360

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,857 in San Jose versus $1,817 in Montanita.

San Jose $3,857
Montanita $1,817

Living in San Jose is roughly 116% more expensive than in Montanita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Jose is 45% above, Montanita is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,499

$3.40 $3.40

259.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.0K

$28.19 $28.19

113.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,293

$7.27 $7.27

61.90%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,934

$2.42 $2.42

77.69%

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

$2.72 ₡1,223

$0.84 $0.84

223.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡828

$0.66 $0.66

178.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,477

$2.01 $2.01

63.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,962

$3.40 $3.40

28.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,072

$1.09 $1.09

118.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,405

$1.63 $1.63

91.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,084

$1.50 $1.50

60.67%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,561

$2.11 $2.11

64.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,757

$5.53 $5.53

91.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,748

$5.65 $5.65

86.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,183

$6.16 $6.16

123.21%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,269

$2.07 $2.07

143.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡726

$1.16 $1.16

38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,064

$1.05 $1.05

337.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,727

$1.04 $1.04

269.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,697

$1.43 $1.43

163.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,689

$1.03 $1.03

265.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡505

$0.49 $0.49

128.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,438

$1.02 $1.02

213.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,627

$5.87 $5.87

-0.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,878

$10.02 $10.02

96.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,238

$1.47 $1.47

87.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,646

$2.45 $2.45

49.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡502

$0.33 $0.33

239.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.3K

$23.80 $23.80

173.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,108

$1.49 $1.49

65.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡691

$1.03 $1.03

49.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,807

$10.10 $10.10

-16.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡698

$0.62 $0.62

150.00%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$24.6K $24.6K

-11.69%

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$28.2K $28.2K

23.51%

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

$94.7 ₡42.6K

$39.94 $39.94

137.06%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$13.91 $13.91

152.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$31.23 $31.23

87.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$30.41 $30.41

137.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.3K

$14.55 $14.55

73.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,524

$7.21 $7.21

8.60%

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

$971 ₡437.0K

$253 $253

283.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.6M

$5,665 $5,665

200.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$56.5 $56.5

26.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$43.23 $43.23

26.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.0K

$100 $100

28.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.9K

$75.1 $75.1

77.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.0K

$336 $336

177.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡346.5K

$315 $315

144.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡874.9K

$628 $628

209.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡592.2K

$494 $494

166.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

$1,236 $1,236

84.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡807.4K

$1,015 $1,015

76.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡452.5K

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 3, 2026

Last update for Montanita: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

Montanita

$315 35.6% 59% $455

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

Montanita

$184 20.8% 53.8% $215

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

Montanita

$101 11.4% 55.7% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

Montanita

$85 9.6% 54.8% $103

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

Montanita

$124 14% 29.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Montanita

$45 5.1% 49% $43

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

Montanita

$32 3.6% 60.2% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $934 in San Jose and $336 in Montanita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60.0 in San Jose vs $28.00 in Montanita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $184 per month, with Montanita cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇪🇨 Montanita

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

03:43 3:43 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

5,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Montanita 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Montanita

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 Montanita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montanita is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 116% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,924 in San Jose and $1,355 in Montanita 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: $934 in San Jose versus $336 in Montanita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $971 in San Jose versus $253 in Montanita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 116% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $903 in Montanita versus $1,949 in San Jose, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Montanita but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Montanita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Montanita is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in San Jose, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Montanita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.