Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Quesada

For one person, living is cheaper in Quesada: $1,664 a month against $2,105 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Quesada
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Quesada Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Quesada

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,664

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,105 per month in San Jose vs $1,664 in Quesada, rent included.

San Jose $2,105
Quesada $1,664

A couple spends around $3,074 per month in San Jose vs $2,649 in Quesada, rent included.

San Jose $3,074
Quesada $2,649

A family of three spends $4,043 per month in San Jose vs $3,633 in Quesada, rent included.

San Jose $4,043
Quesada $3,633

San Jose costs about 26% more than Quesada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Jose and Quesada sit above the global median – San Jose by 55%, Quesada by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.43 ₡5,590

$12.03 ₡5,410

3.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.4K

$61.5 ₡27.6K

-0.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 ₡5,270

$11.85 ₡5,329

-1.10%

Cappuccino

$4.47 ₡2,012

$4.34 ₡1,954

3.00%

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

$2.75 ₡1,237

$2.76 ₡1,242

-0.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡864

$1.86 ₡836

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 ₡1,465

$3.27 ₡1,472

-0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡2,002

$2.38 ₡1,069

86.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,059

$2.32 ₡1,043

1.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 ₡1,388

$2.85 ₡1,281

8.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,079

$2.49 ₡1,118

-3.61%

Eggs

$3.44 ₡1,548

$2.65 ₡1,192

29.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,824

$10.62 ₡4,776

1.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,658

$10.49 ₡4,718

-1.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ₡6,222

$13.83 ₡6,221

0.07%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 ₡2,315

$5.28 ₡2,374

-2.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡743

$1.60 ₡718

3.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,102

$1.12 ₡503

316.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 ₡1,792

$3.99 ₡1,794

-0.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,755

$3.86 ₡1,734

1.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 ₡1,642

$3.60 ₡1,619

1.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡486

$1.12 ₡503

-3.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,393

$3.19 ₡1,436

-2.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 ₡2,736

$5.78 ₡2,600

5.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.05 ₡9,016

$15.25 ₡6,857

31.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,248

$2.89 ₡1,302

-4.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$3.72 ₡1,672

-0.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡501

$1.42 ₡640

-21.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,119

$1.58 ₡710

57.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.57 ₡706

3.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 ₡3,808

$8.77 ₡3,944

-3.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.55 ₡697

1.29%

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

$34.6K ₡15.5M

$34.4K ₡15.5M

0.40%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$41.3K ₡18.6M

2.59%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$94.6 ₡42.6K

-1.56%

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

$36.05 ₡16.2K

$30.47 ₡13.7K

18.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 ₡26.6K

$54.9 ₡24.7K

7.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₡31.0K

$68.7 ₡30.9K

0.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

$16.49 ₡7,414

50.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ₡3,531

$5.39 ₡2,425

45.64%

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

$996 ₡447.9K

$254 ₡114.3K

291.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$4,200 ₡1.9M

305.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 ₡31.5K

$70.3 ₡31.6K

-0.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.8K

$55.0 ₡24.7K

0.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.3K

$129 ₡57.8K

0.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡59.0K

$111 ₡49.7K

18.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₡523.4K

$815 ₡366.5K

42.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 ₡424.9K

$630 ₡283.2K

50.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 ₡896.4K

$1,911 ₡859.5K

4.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 ₡631.3K

$1,257 ₡565.2K

11.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 ₡1.2M

$4,200 ₡1.9M

-35.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ₡917.6K

$2,197 ₡988.0K

-7.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ₡454.5K

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Quesada: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$945 44.9%

Quesada

$630 37.8% 33.4% $315

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 19%

Quesada

$372 22.4% 6.8% $27

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Quesada

$224 13.4% 3.7% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9%

Quesada

$180 10.8% 4.4% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Quesada

$164 9.9% 5.7% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$85 4%

Quesada

$80 4.8% 6.1% $5.2

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 3.9%

Quesada

$15 * 0.9% 81.5% $67

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,164 in San Jose versus $815 in Quesada. 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 in San Jose versus $61 in Quesada. Groceries tell a different story – $399 in San Jose vs $372 in Quesada – so Quesada wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇷 Quesada

🕒 Local time

21:50 9:50 PM

Same time as San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

42,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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San Jose Quesada 58 km

From you

San Jose
Quesada

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 Quesada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,105 in San Jose, $1,664 in Quesada – Quesada comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,158 per month in San Jose and $2,496 in Quesada. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quesada, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $815 there versus $1,164 in San Jose.

Kindergarten costs $996 per month in San Jose and $254 in Quesada. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,105 in San Jose and $1,664 in Quesada. That makes Quesada about 21% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,105 in San Jose and $1,664 in Quesada, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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