Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Quevedo

For one person, living is cheaper in Quevedo: $845 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Quevedo
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Quevedo Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Quevedo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,938 in San Jose versus $845 in Quevedo.

San Jose $1,938
Quevedo $845

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,936 in San Jose versus $1,466 in Quevedo.

San Jose $2,936
Quevedo $1,466

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,934 in San Jose versus $2,086 in Quevedo.

San Jose $3,934
Quevedo $2,086

Living in San Jose is roughly 129% more expensive than in Quevedo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Jose is 44% above, Quevedo is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$5.91 $5.91

109.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$54.8 $54.8

11.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$7.57 $7.57

51.25%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$3.36 $3.36

30.65%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$1.42 $1.42

90.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$1.11 $1.11

73.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$3.54 $3.54

-9.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$6.04 $6.04

-26.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.14 $1.14

114.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$1.61 $1.61

89.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.51 $1.51

59.60%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$2.17 $2.17

56.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$6.60 $6.60

62.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$5.71 $5.71

82.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$7.68 $7.68

82.16%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$2.25 $2.25

133.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.23 $1.23

29.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$1.32 $1.32

255.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$1.08 $1.08

265.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$1.19 $1.19

229.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$1.07 $1.07

243.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.87 $0.87

28.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$1.02 $1.02

212.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$6.13 $6.13

-2.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$10.13 $10.13

93.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$1.57 $1.57

79.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$3.10 $3.10

15.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.33 $0.33

239.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

$17.45 $17.45

282.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$1.52 $1.52

64.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.49 $1.49

9.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$10.15 $10.15

-16.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.85 $0.85

83.53%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$21.3K $21.3K

5.27%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$28.0K $28.0K

26.87%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$28.93 $28.93

229.14%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$17.60 $17.60

102.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$28.80 $28.80

103.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$34.05 $34.05

113.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

$16.89 $16.89

47.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$6.44 $6.44

17.70%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$227 $227

341.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$8,815 $8,815

94.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$70.8 $70.8

-0.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$50.4 $50.4

10.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$114 $114

13.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$108 $108

21.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$300 $300

209.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$192 $192

302.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$790 $790

149.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$468 $468

174.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$1,113 $1,113

104.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$794 $794

130.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.12

-14.82%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Quevedo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Quevedo

$192 22.7% 75.2% $582

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Quevedo

$199 23.5% 50.4% $202

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Quevedo

$150 17.8% 34.5% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Quevedo

$75 8.9% 60.2% $114

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Quevedo

$154 18.3% 11.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Quevedo

$47 5.6% 46.6% $41

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Quevedo

$28 3.3% 66.2% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $927 in San Jose and $300 in Quevedo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in San Jose vs $55.0 in Quevedo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $199 per month, with Quevedo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇪🇨 Quevedo

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

17:47 5:47 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

300,000

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Quevedo 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Quevedo

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 Quevedo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose and Quevedo differ by about 129% in total monthly costs ($1,938 vs $845 including rent). Quevedo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,907 in San Jose and $1,268 in Quevedo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $927 in San Jose versus $300 in Quevedo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Quevedo runs roughly 283% less than in San Jose. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,001 in San Jose versus $227 in Quevedo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $845 in Quevedo versus $1,938 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Quevedo but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Quevedo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Quevedo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 129% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.