Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and New Providence

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,179 in New Providence, rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. The total is higher in New Providence despite lower rent and utilities.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

New Providence

🇧🇸 Bahamas

$2,179

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in New Providence

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

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $2,179 in New Providence, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
New Providence $2,179

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $5,251 in New Providence, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
New Providence $5,251

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $8,323 in New Providence, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
New Providence $8,323

San Jose is about 3% cheaper than New Providence, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Jose and New Providence sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, New Providence by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$75.2 BSD 75.2

-83.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$152 BSD 152

-58.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$5.57 BSD 5.57

-18.49%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$2.16 BSD 2.16

9.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$4.90 BSD 4.90

-37.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$4.85 BSD 4.85

-48.25%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$10.07 BSD 10.07

-64.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$19.79 BSD 19.79

-46.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$10.19 BSD 10.19

3.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$20.32 BSD 20.32

-31.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$4.53 BSD 4.53

14.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$6.17 BSD 6.17

-73.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$6.90 BSD 6.90

-29.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.91 BSD 3.91

-1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$3.99 BSD 3.99

-2.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.93 BSD 2.93

28.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$3.09 BSD 3.09

-63.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$3.02 BSD 3.02

6.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$14.89 BSD 14.89

-59.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$25.50 BSD 25.50

-22.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$3.72 BSD 3.72

-24.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$4.06 BSD 4.06

-10.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.81 BSD 1.81

-17.13%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$39.54 BSD 39.54

-8.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$99.9 BSD 99.9

-39.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$74.4 BSD 74.4

-7.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$15.11 BSD 15.11

-49.24%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$1,503 BSD 1,503

-35.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$15.1K BSD 15.1K

25.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,473 BSD 1,473

-20.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$714 BSD 714

32.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$4,422 BSD 4,422

-68.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for New Providence: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

New Providence

–

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

New Providence

–

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

New Providence

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

New Providence

–

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

New Providence

–

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

New Providence

–

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

New Providence

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,473 in New Providence. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose versus $152 in New Providence. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $553 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇧🇸 New Providence

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

14:10 2:10 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

296,522

💱 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 New Providence 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
New Providence

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 New Providence: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Providence costs about 3% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $3,269 in New Providence. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,473 in New Providence.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,107 in San Jose and $2,179 in New Providence. That makes San Jose about 3% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $972 per month in San Jose and $1,503 in New Providence. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,107 in San Jose and $2,179 in New Providence, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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