Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Moquegua

For one person, living is cheaper in Moquegua: $446 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Moquegua
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Moquegua Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Moquegua

🇵🇪 Peru

$446

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $446 in Moquegua, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Moquegua $446

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $743 in Moquegua, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Moquegua $743

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $1,041 in Moquegua, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Moquegua $1,041

San Jose costs about 335% more than Moquegua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 44% above the global median, while Moquegua is 67% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$3.38 PEN 11.61

266.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$27.26 PEN 93.6

123.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$5.77 PEN 19.81

98.44%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$2.46 PEN 8.44

78.46%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$0.83 PEN 2.85

225.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$0.36 PEN 1.22

436.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$2.16 PEN 7.40

48.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$4.47 PEN 15.36

-1.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.27 PEN 4.37

92.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$1.34 PEN 4.60

127.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.51 PEN 5.18

59.60%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$2.28 PEN 7.83

49.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$6.39 PEN 21.96

68.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$4.47 PEN 15.36

133.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$7.52 PEN 25.81

86.04%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$1.77 PEN 6.06

196.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.18 PEN 4.07

34.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$1.13 PEN 3.87

315.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$1.00 PEN 3.43

295.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$0.62 PEN 2.13

532.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$0.72 PEN 2.47

411.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.51 PEN 1.74

119.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$0.80 PEN 2.73

298.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$5.12 PEN 17.58

17.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$5.00 PEN 17.18

291.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$2.72 PEN 9.34

3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$2.23 PEN 7.67

60.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.06 PEN 7.08

21.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.99 PEN 6.85

-18.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$12.78 PEN 43.91

-33.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.57 PEN 5.39

-0.64%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$18.7K PEN 64.1K

20.10%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$25.7K PEN 88.4K

38.26%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$23.88 PEN 82.0

298.74%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$10.09 PEN 34.66

252.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$23.10 PEN 79.3

153.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$7.46 PEN 25.64

1.61%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$74.3 PEN 255

1247.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$6,663 PEN 22.9K

157.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$49.04 PEN 168

43.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$25.96 PEN 89.1

115.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$65.6 PEN 225

97.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$58.2 PEN 200

124.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-42.53%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Moquegua: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Moquegua

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Moquegua

$174 39% 56.7% $227

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Moquegua

$98 22.1% 57.1% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Moquegua

$57 12.8% 69.9% $132

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Moquegua

$89 20.1% 48.6% $85

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Moquegua

$15 * 3.4% 83% $73

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Moquegua

$12 * 2.7% 85.3% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in San Jose versus $27.00 in Moquegua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $174 – making Moquegua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇵🇪 Moquegua

🕒 Local time

14:08 2:08 PM

15:08 3:08 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

18,861

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Moquegua 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Moquegua

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 Moquegua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 335%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,907 per month in San Jose and $668 in Moquegua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,938 in San Jose and $446 in Moquegua. That's a gap of about 335%.

Kindergarten costs $1,001 per month in San Jose and $74.3 in Moquegua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Moquegua, where all-in costs run around $446, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Moquegua it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Moquegua – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Moquegua. 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.