Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Port-au-Prince

For one person, living is cheaper in Port-au-Prince: $1,305 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Port-au-Prince

🇭🇹 Haiti

$1,305

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Port-au-Prince

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 Port-au-Prince actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $1,305 in Port-au-Prince, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
Port-au-Prince $1,305

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $2,040 in Port-au-Prince, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
Port-au-Prince $2,040

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $2,775 in Port-au-Prince, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
Port-au-Prince $2,775

San Jose costs about 61% more than Port-au-Prince, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

San Jose sits 56% above the global median, while Port-au-Prince is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

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

$3.00 HTG 391

-21.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.63 HTG 344

16.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$2.25 HTG 294

11.56%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$5.65 HTG 738

-37.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$6.18 HTG 807

70.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$5.97 HTG 780

77.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$10.07 HTG 1,315

38.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$4.53 HTG 592

14.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.54 HTG 201

7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$1.24 HTG 162

294.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$2.44 HTG 319

57.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$5.41 HTG 706

-27.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.12 HTG 277

77.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.47 HTG 192

-23.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.39 HTG 181

131.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$1.56 HTG 204

285.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$15.40 HTG 2,011

28.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$1.62 HTG 211

73.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$2.36 HTG 308

54.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$0.21 HTG 26.99

414.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$20.01 HTG 2,613

225.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$0.37 HTG 47.80

510.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$0.42 HTG 54.5

323.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$19.86 HTG 2,593

-60.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.15 HTG 150

30.43%

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

$50.7 HTG 6,620

-28.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$10.19 HTG 1,331

-24.73%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$73.6 HTG 9,609

-22.98%

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

$907 HTG 118.4K

28.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$875 HTG 114.3K

7.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,095 HTG 273.6K

-5.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,816 HTG 237.1K

-22.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$1,671 HTG 218.1K

60.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$1,491 HTG 194.7K

36.62%

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 Port-au-Prince: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Port-au-Prince

–

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Port-au-Prince

–

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Port-au-Prince

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Port-au-Prince

–

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Port-au-Prince

–

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Port-au-Prince

–

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Port-au-Prince

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $907 in Port-au-Prince. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇭🇹 Port-au-Prince

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

14:01 2:01 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

1,275,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Haitian Gourde HTG G

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 HTG = 7.66 USD

1,000 HTG = 6.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HTG, 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).

Haitian Gourde exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 131 HTG (1,000 HTG = 7.66 USD). 1 EUR = 147 HTG (1,000 HTG = 6.82 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Jose Port-au-Prince 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Port-au-Prince

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 Port-au-Prince: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,107 in San Jose, $1,305 in Port-au-Prince – Port-au-Prince comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $1,957 in Port-au-Prince. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Port-au-Prince, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $907 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

Public transport costs about 69% less in Port-au-Prince. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,107 in San Jose and $1,305 in Port-au-Prince. That makes Port-au-Prince about 38% cheaper.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Port-au-Prince, where all-in costs run around $1,305, than in San Jose at $2,107. In Port-au-Prince 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 $1,305 in Port-au-Prince to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.