Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Peru

For one person, living is cheaper in Peru: $849 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

San Jose
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,949
/mo nomad
🇵🇪 Peru
$849
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: San Jose is 99.9% more expensive than Peru without rent, and 129.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: San Jose is 99.6% more expensive than Peru without rent, and 110.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Jose
Peru
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.22 ₡5,510
$3.41 PEN 11.69
258.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.1 ₡27.1K
$29.41 PEN 101
104.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.77 ₡5,305
$6.29 PEN 21.55
87.12%
Cappuccino
$4.30 ₡1,939
$3.10 PEN 10.63
38.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 ₡1,226
$0.92 PEN 3.17
195.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 ₡830
$0.49 PEN 1.70
275.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,480
$2.30 PEN 7.89
42.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 ₡1,966
$3.42 PEN 11.71
27.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Jose
Peru
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.38 ₡1,074
$1.51 PEN 5.18
57.62%
White Bread (500g)
$3.12 ₡1,408
$2.29 PEN 7.86
36.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.41 ₡1,086
$1.32 PEN 4.53
82.58%
Eggs
$3.47 ₡1,564
$2.72 PEN 9.31
27.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.57 ₡4,767
$7.91 PEN 27.11
33.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.56 ₡4,758
$5.66 PEN 19.41
86.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.75 ₡6,196
$9.04 PEN 30.98
52.10%
Apples (1kg)
$5.04 ₡2,274
$1.83 PEN 6.27
175.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡727
$1.05 PEN 3.59
53.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.59 ₡2,069
$1.22 PEN 4.18
276.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.84 ₡1,731
$1.22 PEN 4.18
214.75%
Potato (1kg)
$3.77 ₡1,700
$0.90 PEN 3.08
318.89%
Onion (1kg)
$3.76 ₡1,693
$0.85 PEN 2.91
342.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 ₡506
$0.82 PEN 2.80
36.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$3.20 ₡1,441
$0.85 PEN 2.91
276.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.84 ₡2,632
$5.65 PEN 19.37
3.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.73 ₡8,897
$7.83 PEN 26.83
151.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.75 ₡1,240
$2.00 PEN 6.87
37.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ₡1,650
$2.89 PEN 9.92
26.64%
🚌 Getting Around
San Jose
Peru
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡503
$0.60 PEN 2.06
86.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.1 ₡29.4K
$26.75 PEN 91.7
143.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.46 ₡1,110
$2.30 PEN 7.89
6.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.54 ₡692
$2.00 PEN 6.85
-23.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.46 ₡3,815
$6.96 PEN 23.84
21.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.55 ₡699
$1.58 PEN 5.42
-1.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.7K ₡9.8M
$22.0K PEN 75.5K
-1.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.9K ₡15.7M
$25.5K PEN 87.3K
36.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Jose
Peru
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.7 ₡42.7K
$55.7 PEN 191
69.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.11 ₡15.8K
$13.43 PEN 46.04
161.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.6 ₡26.4K
$26.21 PEN 89.9
123.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Jose
Peru
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$72.2 ₡32.5K
$31.20 PEN 107
131.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.19 ₡11.4K
$16.50 PEN 56.6
52.67%
Cinema Ticket
$7.83 ₡3,532
$5.86 PEN 20.10
33.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Jose
Peru
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$971 ₡437.9K
$161 PEN 552
502.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.0K ₡7.7M
$10.9K PEN 37.2K
56.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Jose
Peru
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.6 ₡32.3K
$49.19 PEN 169
45.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.9 ₡24.7K
$31.54 PEN 108
73.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$129 ₡58.2K
$73.0 PEN 250
76.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 ₡60.0K
$72.0 PEN 247
85.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Jose
Peru
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$934 ₡420.9K
$472 PEN 1,620
97.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$770 ₡347.2K
$244 PEN 838
215.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,945 ₡876.7K
$831 PEN 2,848
134.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,316 ₡593.5K
$475 PEN 1,630
176.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,277 ₡1.0M
$2,209 PEN 7,573
3.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,795 ₡809.1K
$1,231 PEN 4,220
45.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Jose
Peru
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,006 ₡453.5K
$550 PEN 1,884
83.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
9.73
-11.41%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Last update for Peru: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
San Jose
$770
Peru
$244 68.3% $526
Groceries & Markets
San Jose
$399
Peru
$209 47.6% $190
Eating Out
San Jose
$228
Peru
$107 52.9% $121
Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Jose
$188
Peru
$95 49.4% $93
Clothing & Footwear
San Jose
$175
Peru
$102 41.9% $73
Sport & Entertainment
San Jose
$88
Peru
$43 51.1% $45
Getting Around
San Jose
$80
Peru
$41 48% $38
Good to know
🇨🇷 San Jose
🇵🇪 Peru
🕒 Local time
03:06 3:06 AM
04:06 4:06 AM
1 h ahead of San Jose
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
342,188 Capital
33,726,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • San Jose Peru 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • San Jose
  • Peru

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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