Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Pasaje

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasaje: $825 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Pasaje
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Pasaje Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Pasaje

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $825 in Pasaje, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Pasaje $825

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $1,351 in Pasaje, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Pasaje $1,351

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $1,877 in Pasaje, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Pasaje $1,877

San Jose costs about 135% more than Pasaje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 44% above the global median, while Pasaje is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$3.99 $3.99

210.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$52.3 $52.3

16.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$8.77 $8.77

30.56%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$2.82 $2.82

55.67%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$0.93 $0.93

190.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$0.75 $0.75

157.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$3.02 $3.02

5.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$4.23 $4.23

4.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.22 $1.22

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$1.98 $1.98

54.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.40 $1.40

72.14%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$2.10 $2.10

61.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$6.87 $6.87

56.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$5.18 $5.18

101.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$9.36 $9.36

49.47%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$1.52 $1.52

245.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.19 $1.19

33.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$1.01 $1.01

364.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$0.96 $0.96

311.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$1.27 $1.27

208.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$0.91 $0.91

304.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.83 $0.83

34.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$0.94 $0.94

239.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$6.12 $6.12

-1.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$11.92 $11.92

64.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$1.49 $1.49

89.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$2.23 $2.23

60.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.38 $0.38

194.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

$16.15 $16.15

313.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$1.39 $1.39

79.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.72 $1.72

-5.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$12.17 $12.17

-30.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.90 $0.90

73.33%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$21.3K $21.3K

5.29%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$31.3K $31.3K

13.64%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$40.37 $40.37

135.87%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$14.73 $14.73

141.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$26.14 $26.14

124.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$29.55 $29.55

145.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

$14.84 $14.84

67.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$7.60 $7.60

-0.26%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$374 $374

167.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$5,765 $5,765

197.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$66.1 $66.1

6.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$40.42 $40.42

38.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$124 $124

4.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$91.9 $91.9

42.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$308 $308

201.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$204 $204

279.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$652 $652

201.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$352 $352

265.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$1,184 $1,184

92.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$736 $736

148.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.05

-14.23%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pasaje: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Pasaje

$204 24.8% 73.6% $570

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Pasaje

$200 24.2% 50.1% $201

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Pasaje

$122 14.8% 46.7% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Pasaje

$81 9.8% 57.1% $108

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Pasaje

$145 17.6% 16.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Pasaje

$45 5.4% 49.1% $43

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Pasaje

$28 3.4% 66.3% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $927 in San Jose versus $308 in Pasaje. 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 $61.0 in San Jose versus $52.0 in Pasaje. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $200 – making Pasaje the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇪🇨 Pasaje

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

00:57 12:57 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

44,860

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Pasaje 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Pasaje

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 Pasaje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose costs about 135% more than Pasaje, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,907 per month in San Jose and $1,238 in Pasaje. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in San Jose and $52.0 in Pasaje. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,938 in San Jose and $825 in Pasaje. That's a gap of about 135%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Pasaje, where all-in costs run around $825, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Pasaje it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Pasaje costs $825 versus $1,938 in San Jose. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Pasaje. 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.