Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Nassau

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $4,351 in Nassau, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
209

Cost of Living Index in Nassau
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Nassau Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Nassau

🇧🇸 Bahamas

$4,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $4,351 in Nassau.

San Jose $2,107
Nassau $4,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $6,921 in Nassau.

San Jose $3,081
Nassau $6,921

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $9,492 in Nassau.

San Jose $4,054
Nassau $9,492

Living in San Jose costs roughly 52% less than in Nassau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, Nassau 222% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$38.07 BSD 38.07

-67.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$203 BSD 203

-69.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$11.87 BSD 11.87

-1.35%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$5.66 BSD 5.66

-19.79%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$3.40 BSD 3.40

-19.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.99 BSD 1.99

-6.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$4.96 BSD 4.96

-32.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$9.23 BSD 9.23

-53.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$3.90 BSD 3.90

-39.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$5.57 BSD 5.57

-44.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$6.98 BSD 6.98

-64.04%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$7.76 BSD 7.76

-54.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$11.02 BSD 11.02

-4.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$21.72 BSD 21.72

-51.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$26.58 BSD 26.58

-47.63%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$6.57 BSD 6.57

-20.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$3.53 BSD 3.53

-53.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$4.75 BSD 4.75

2.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$10.79 BSD 10.79

-64.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$3.40 BSD 3.40

15.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$5.18 BSD 5.18

-27.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$5.62 BSD 5.62

-80.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$3.25 BSD 3.25

-0.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$15.26 BSD 15.26

-60.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$33.49 BSD 33.49

-40.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$5.63 BSD 5.63

-50.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$5.10 BSD 5.10

-28.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.44 BSD 2.44

-55.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$151 BSD 151

-56.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$7.97 BSD 7.97

-71.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$3.03 BSD 3.03

-41.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$50.0 BSD 50.0

-84.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.53 BSD 1.53

-1.96%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$30.1K BSD 30.1K

11.19%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$44.7K BSD 44.7K

-5.43%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$406 BSD 406

-77.05%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$71.6 BSD 71.6

-49.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$114 BSD 114

-46.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$198 BSD 198

-65.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$43.88 BSD 43.88

-43.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$20.39 BSD 20.39

-62.38%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$891 BSD 891

9.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$23.8K BSD 23.8K

-20.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$48.32 BSD 48.32

46.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$122 BSD 122

-53.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$110 BSD 110

17.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$124 BSD 124

5.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,957 BSD 1,957

-40.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,992 BSD 1,992

-52.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$4,660 BSD 4,660

-57.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$3,971 BSD 3,971

-64.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$6,232 BSD 6,232

-56.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$3,470 BSD 3,470

-41.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$3,300 BSD 3,300

-70.10%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nassau: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Nassau

$2K 45.8% 111% $1K

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Nassau

$689 15.8% 71.2% $287

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Nassau

$473 10.9% 104% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Nassau

$592 13.6% 212% $402

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Nassau

$182 4.2% 4.6% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Nassau

$239 5.5% 184% $155

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Nassau

$184 4.2% 128% $103

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in San Jose and $1,957 in Nassau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nassau pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $203 in Nassau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $689 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇧🇸 Nassau

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

259,300 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Bahamian Dollar BSD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BSD = 1 USD

1 BSD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BSD, 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).

Bahamian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1 BSD (1 BSD = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 BSD (1 BSD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Nassau 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Nassau

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 Nassau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 70% lower in San Jose. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,957 in Nassau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,107 per month in San Jose versus $4,351 in Nassau – San Jose is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 57% less than in Nassau. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $4,351 in Nassau, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Nassau. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Nassau. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.