Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Pisco

For one person, living is cheaper in Pisco: $658 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Pisco
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Pisco Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Pisco

🇵🇪 Peru

$658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $658 in Pisco, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Pisco $658

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $1,019 in Pisco, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Pisco $1,019

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $1,380 in Pisco, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Pisco $1,380

San Jose costs about 195% more than Pisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 44% above the global median, while Pisco is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$4.37 PEN 15.02

183.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$34.60 PEN 119

75.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$6.86 PEN 23.56

66.91%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$3.18 PEN 10.93

38.05%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$1.06 PEN 3.64

154.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$0.65 PEN 2.22

196.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$2.69 PEN 9.23

18.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$4.48 PEN 15.38

-1.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.64 PEN 5.64

48.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.27 PEN 7.80

34.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.25 PEN 4.28

92.80%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$1.29 PEN 4.44

163.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$6.22 PEN 21.36

72.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$4.82 PEN 16.56

116.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$6.40 PEN 21.98

118.59%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$1.32 PEN 4.54

297.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$0.99 PEN 3.41

60.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$1.36 PEN 4.66

244.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$0.61 PEN 2.08

547.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$0.45 PEN 1.55

771.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$0.92 PEN 3.14

300.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.82 PEN 2.81

36.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$0.93 PEN 3.18

243.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$5.74 PEN 19.72

4.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$8.54 PEN 29.34

129.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$1.85 PEN 6.34

52.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$2.43 PEN 8.34

47.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.85 PEN 2.93

31.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

$35.08 PEN 120

90.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$3.87 PEN 13.29

-35.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$2.07 PEN 7.10

-21.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$7.43 PEN 25.52

14.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.64 PEN 5.64

-4.88%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$22.4K PEN 77.0K

-0.09%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$25.3K PEN 86.9K

40.68%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$43.24 PEN 149

120.21%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$16.04 PEN 55.1

121.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$11.49 PEN 39.46

410.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$20.15 PEN 69.2

260.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

$8.94 PEN 30.72

177.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$7.38 PEN 25.36

2.71%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$176 PEN 604

468.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$13.3K PEN 45.6K

29.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$53.7 PEN 185

31.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$13.00 PEN 44.65

329.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$45.65 PEN 157

184.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$35.25 PEN 121

271.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$161 PEN 554

474.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$129 PEN 443

500.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$144 PEN 494

795.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$1,834 PEN 6,300

23.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$1,331 PEN 4,572

37.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

$565 PEN 1,941

79.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.94

-3.58%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pisco: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Pisco

$129 19.6% 83.3% $645

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Pisco

$181 27.5% 54.9% $220

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Pisco

$123 18.7% 46.4% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Pisco

$71 10.8% 62.6% $119

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Pisco

$66 10.1% 61.8% $108

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Pisco

$35 5.3% 60.3% $53

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Pisco

$53 8% 35.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $927 in San Jose versus $161 in Pisco. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 80% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in San Jose versus $35.00 in Pisco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $181 – making Pisco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇵🇪 Pisco

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

13:56 1:56 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

14,917

💱 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

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Between locations

San Jose Pisco 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Pisco

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 Pisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,938 in San Jose, $658 in Pisco – roughly 195% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,907 per month in San Jose and $987 in Pisco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 90% less in Pisco. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,001 per month in San Jose and $176 in Pisco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pisco, where all-in costs run around $658, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Pisco it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $658 in Pisco to $1,938 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Pisco. 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.